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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766580">Hey, Soulmate!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daraenss/pseuds/daraenss'>daraenss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Highschool AU, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, TrueRivalShipping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:15:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daraenss/pseuds/daraenss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a certain legend among teenagers: when someone turns 18, the first words their soulmate will say to them will appear on their skin.</p><p>...</p><p>Raihan is expecting to enjoy his last year of school alongside his friends Nessa, Milo and Piers. For him, things such as soulmates are nothing impressive, and could not care less about the words that appeared on his skin.</p><p>Leon is a new student in Galar High, and doesn't know anyone, except his childhood friend, Sonia. When Raihan meets him, he thinks nothing of him, until certain words that Leon says to him make Raihan freeze in place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>103</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Summertime Premonition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>In this AU, Raihan is the oldest character among his friends (18). Everyone else is 17 and will turn 18 sooner or later.</p><p>Keep in mind that this is just a prologue to set the foundation of the whole fic.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Since the beginning of time, humanity has always been fascinated by the tales about an unbreakable destiny who bound people together—red strings that would always find each other, promises of love in a bridge full of padlocks or more simply, love at first sight. At Galar High there was a similar legend, but instead of love at first sight, it was love at first word. The youngest students, who dreamt about a film-like romance, whispered in the hallways about a certain rumor—when someone turned eighteen, right after midnight, some special words would appear written in their skin, like ink. Those were the first words their soulmate would say to them.</p><p>Something that was the most exciting story ever for the younger generation, worthy of being known to the letter, for the older students was no more than a fairytale created to please someone else’s imagination. As years passed, people started forgetting the legends, or they just simply ignored them. Maybe it was the pessimistic attitude that the adults put on their minds, or the thought that, no matter the words, destiny would find its way to happen.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Summer was always accompanied by the strong winds that blew the leaves in the park. The sun illuminated a group of four teenagers that were chatting in some benches; some were laughing and some others, more on the introverted side, preferred to stay quiet and enjoy the company. One of them took out a gift-wrapped box, almost as big as his muscles, and gave it to the man sitting in front of him, who was holding his phone at the time.</p><p>“Happy birthday, Raihan,” said the guy. “I brought this from my farm. I hope you like it.”</p><p>The other guy, with skin like mahogany, received the gift and, without wasting a second, started to open it. On the inside there was a beautiful, white, handmade wool sweater. Inside the box there was also a piece of paper with a message written on it: “Happy birthday, Raihan. I know how much you liked the sheep of my farm, so I knitted this for you.” Raihan smiled at the gift, putting it back inside the box to keep it safe and put everything by his side on the bench.</p><p>“Thanks, Milo,” said Raihan. “I never thought you’d remember that!”</p><p>“How do you expect me to forget if you were literally rolling with my sheep?” Milo laughed as he remembered that day. “I’d never forget your flustered face when we found you.”</p><p>Another voice made its way into the conversation. An elegant, feminine voice laughed gracefully. When the two men turned to see her, she crossed her legs as she tossed back her black hair with blue highlights. She put her hand on Raihan’s shoulder, with a smile on her face. The corners of her lips shivered in an attempt to not laugh.</p><p>“He’s right,” she said. “It was surprising to see a guy like you, who loves taking pictures of himself, begging me to delete the pic I took of you.”</p><p>“My reputation was at stake, Nessa, you know it.” Raihan grunted.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Nessa replied. “Still, it was a whole different look, you know. You’re always so cool, so… it was interesting to see.”</p><p>Raihan opened his mouth to answer, but Nessa pressed her index finger against his lips. She knew he was going to try to talk his way out of the situation, so it was better if the conversation didn’t drag on for too long. She turned to her purse to look for something on the inside—a small gift that she put on Raihan’s lap.</p><p>“Happy eighteenth birthday, Raihan,” Nessa said. “I hope you treasure this little gift I’ve got for you.”</p><p>With no time to lose, Raihan ripped off the wrapping paper, only to see a beautifully framed photo. The memories of that day in the beach, where the two of them took a picture to commemorate the occasion made Raihan smile. As he put the photo alongside the sweater, he looked at Nessa with a warm expression of pure gratitude.</p><p>“I love it, Nessa,” said Raihan, thankfully. “We should go on a trip again, and this time, Milo and Piers can come too!”</p><p>In that group of four, there was a single person who didn’t speak at all during that conversation. With his eyes squinted and a blank stare, he preferred to pay attention to anything else in that park. When he heard his name, he tossed his black and white bang back with his scrawny, pale and ghost-like fingers, as he turned his gaze to the rest of the group.</p><p>“No.” He frowned. “Don’t count me in.”</p><p>The harness of his voice resonated coldly over the others and his gaze ignored Raihan’s presence on purpose who, at the time, was trying to be noticed by him. Raihan went over to his bench and, without a second thought, laid on his lap. Piers’ body tensed as he tried to throw Raihan off the bench, unsuccessfully, because Raihan hugged his torso.</p><p>“Come on, Piers!” Raihan said with a mocking tone. “Can you smile for me at least?”</p><p>“I already said no.” Piers rolled his eyes, massaging his temple in an attempt to cease that headache that only became more bothersome. After a few seconds, he put his hand on Raihan’s head, patting him and relaxing the muscles of his face. “Happy birthday, Raihan.”</p><p>Raihan, with the widest smile on his face and his hands behind his neck, got up the bench. Since his smile was so big, a pair of pointy fangs could be seen. He went back to his own bench, sitting alongside the gifts he received.</p><p>“You did good, Piers,” Milo congratulated. “Look at Raihan, he’s so happy.”</p><p>When Piers stared at Raihan, who was smiling innocently like a dog or a child, he just snorted and took out some music sheets from his backpack, and paid attention to that instead. On his face there was a tiny smile, barely noticeable, that Milo looked at. After adjusting his farmer hat, Milo crossed his arms with that irreplaceable grin on his face.</p><p>Nessa, who was sitting near Raihan, shook his shoulder to draw his attention. When he looked at her, he saw that she had a sly smile on her face and her eyes were half-open, like if she had some words on the tip of her tongue. Knowing that she was going to ask something he did not want to answer to, Raihan looked away.</p><p>“So, anyways, Raihan…” said Nessa. “Do you have your words, right?”</p><p>“My words?” Raihan raised his eyebrow after looking at her again. It wasn’t long until he relaxed the expression on his face, after understanding what she was talking about. “The words from the legend, right? The first words my soulmate will say to me or whatever.”</p><p>“So it’s true!” Nessa raised her hands to her chest, gleefully clapping. “What are your words, then?”</p><p>“It’s just a question,” Raihan explained, uninterested and trying so hard to drive the attention away from that topic. “I don’t care too much, really.”</p><p>Raihan didn’t want to admit it, but he remembered the words on his ankle to the letter because they were too boring. It’s not like he was expecting something else, something more exciting—after all, life wasn’t a flashy movie where every word was planned to have a deep meaning. Sometimes, life was just boring.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Hello, do you know how to get to the Principal’s office?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was possible that his soulmate was pants with directions. And the worst part is that his words didn’t give him a clue on where to find him. He knew some people had words that could lead them to their soulmate, but he only got a question. Maybe he already met his soulmate, but he would never know it for sure because of those stupid words. The possibilities were endless, and he was traveling across the sea of doubt with the aid of an old map. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.</p><p>Raihan took out his phone to forget everything about that meaningless topic. After seeing the first notification, he opened his mouth a little bit while he raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes to the fullest. He quickly opened the message.</p><p>“Come over,” he said. “The school leaked the classes for this year, let’s see if we end up together again.”</p><p>Like moths to the light, the other three people approached Raihan and looked at the screen behind him. It was a long message, full of names, and he started reading it.</p><p>“Here you are, Milo,” Raihan pointed at the guy’s name as he mentioned him. “Nessa and Piers are also here, and…”</p><p>Raihan’s voice silenced as he reached the end of the conversation. Without wasting any more time, he went to the beginning of the chat to reread it again, slower this time. His friends looked at each other, feeling the weight of the tension on their shoulders. They all knew what was happening, but it didn’t seem like they wanted to say something about it.</p><p>“You ain’t with us, right?” Piers had the courage to break the ice on that awkward silence.</p><p>Raihan didn’t say a word. He just scrolled the message once again, looking for that name that he was not going to find. Milo put his hand on his shoulder, smiling with his eyebrows raised and babbling every time he tried to speak.</p><p>“Don’t get discouraged, Raihan,” said Milo. “Think of this as an opportunity to meet new people. Surely a guy as charismatic and charming as you will make friends in the first period.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Nessa intervened, with a much more confident tone. “And we won’t stop being your friends just because we aren’t in the same class, you know. We can see each other on recess.”</p><p>Piers didn’t say anything at the moment. He only showed a compassive smile as he shrugged. Even if he preferred to be quiet most of the time, he expressed his affection in more discreet ways—like those little smiles or spending time with them. His tired eyes and his crooked posture gave the wrong impression, but his friends could always read through that shell that he created on accident. He was a real person, after all.</p><p>The piercing silence was crushed by the sound of the dry leaves being stepped on, alongside the sweet voice of a woman having a conversation with a guy. It was uncommon for people to go to that side of the park, hidden from plain sight. That’s why it became the secret hideout of that group of friends, so hearing a new presence surprised them all.</p><p>The woman’s high pitched voice talked over the group of friends’ conversation.</p><p>“Nessa!”</p><p>When the aforementioned turned around, she looked at the two silhouettes behind her friends. The corners of her lips widened warmly; she was so happy to see a dear friend. The woman’s red hair, like fire, was tousled because of the wind. The heart-shaped decorations on her hair were close to dropping to the floor, but her cheery smile could not be bothered. Nessa approached her and hugged her tightly.</p><p>“It’s always nice to see you, Sonia,” said Nessa after the hug.</p><p>Even if they weren’t hugging anymore, Nessa put her hands on Sonia’s shoulders to keep the closeness and looked at her with half-open eyes, eyebrows raised and a sweet smile. Nonetheless, she quickly stared at the guy that was standing beside her. That guy tossed his purple hair back as he shook his hand to everyone else, with a big grin on his face. His muscles were tensed on the spot to avoid showing the over-excitement that he was feeling. Sonia looked at him and then, she pushed him gently to the front.</p><p>“I want to introduce you to someone,” said Sonia. “This is Leon, a childhood friend of mine. He’s going to be with us during this year.”</p><p>Raihan had been in the same class as Sonia every year, but he still didn’t know her well. He only knew that she had the best grades in the whole school and that she was a close friend of Nessa. Her friend, on the other hand, was completely unknown to him, so he just looked at him with eyes painted with apathy. When Leon locked his eyes with him, he smiled with enthusiasm, but Raihan only nodded politely.</p><p>Sonia and Leon stayed for a little while. They talked about various things, knowing each other better, but Raihan didn’t participate actively in the conversation. He was paying attention to his social media instead. Milo found out that Leon came from a farming family too, so he was used to manual labor, but moved to the city when he was younger.</p><p>When sunset was painted by a passionate orange, Sonia put his hand on Leon’s shoulder to draw his attention. She explained that they were on their way to the school to talk to the principal about Leon’s admission and she was coming with him to show him the way. After leaving, the group of four talked for some time until the darkness of the night made its way to the sky.</p><p>But Raihan couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he had to survive his last year in school without his friends.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>The first day of school was, for many people, something exciting. The uncertainty for the new subjects, new friendships and especially, the new adventures that were going to be engraved on everyone’s minds, made their hearts flutter of excitement. For the oldest students, this feeling was even more intense, since they added the expectations for the graduation and the end of a phase.</p><p>At the entrance of Galar High, old friends that hadn’t seen each other during the summer reunited, where they told anecdotes of their days on the beach or about fleeting romances. Luckily, people like Raihan, Milo, Piers and Nessa were used to seeing each other, and they agreed to meet on the hallway that led to the lockers. While Raihan was welcomed by all the popular basketball players; Nessa was greeted by the girls that admired her for her beauty or her success in the modeling industry; Milo arrived without an issue, waving his hand to some people on the way; Piers, on the other hand, ignored everyone else on purpose, arriving early to the school to hide on the music classroom to write some music. But they all kept their promise and met in front of the lockers to spend some time together before the bell rang. Raihan was taking selfies with his friends, Milo had baked cookies to share with them, Piers just had finished writing his new single and Nessa received that day an invitation to join the swimming club. It looked like everyone had something to look up for that year—even if it was the illusion of joining a club, the joy of making new friends or the desire to fulfill one’s goals. But, at the same time, it was almost nostalgic. It would be their last “first day” of school, and that was their last year together before they split roads and moved to different cities to make their dreams come true.</p><p>When the bell rang, Raihan felt that weird feeling on his stomach. It was going to be weird to be in a classroom without any of his friends, and that was just the first day. It wasn’t easy to get used to change, but the idea of being able to go to school without thinking too much about it made him feel better.</p><p>His friends dropped him in his classroom, and after they left, he looked inside the place, letting out a bitter sigh. As expected of a popular guy like him, he recognized some faces but, at the same time, he felt alone because he didn’t really know anyone.</p><p>The classes were a nice distraction for him who, even though didn’t have the best grades ever, could make it one way or another. He chitchatted with the people around him, but it was nothing too big for him. When the third period was over, the recess started. Raihan got up and started to organize his books in his backpack before leaving. He felt a presence standing behind him, and when he turned around, he saw those familiar purple strands of hair, that cascaded beautifully on his shoulders. He had just seen him one day ago, but something about him made it impossible for Raihan to forget; especially those golden eyes that made the wrinkles on the corners of his eyes, that he could see when he smiled, stand out.</p><p>“Hey,” Raihan said, much more calmly and friendly than yesterday. “Leon, right?”</p><p>Leon nodded. When he saw Raihan organizing his books, he decided to not intervene until he was done, afraid of being a pebble on his path to somewhere else. Only the two of them remained in the classroom, which wasn’t a surprise, since it was already recess. After Raihan was done, Leon raised his voice.</p><p>“Hello,” said Leon. “Do you know how to get to the Principal’s Office?”</p><p>Upon hearing those words, Raihan froze on the spot. His muscles tensed, his chest shrinked and his heartbeat became even more intense in that little space it had. He gulped, noticing that his throat was abnormally dry and feeling his breathing becoming even more heavy. He tried to answer, but the words couldn’t come out, disappearing like thin air. His mind was trying to process what he just heard.</p><p>Those were <em> the words. </em>The exact same words that were engraved on his skin just a day ago.</p><p> </p><p>Was Leon really his soulmate…?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The cards on the table</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nessa, worried about Raihan's wellbeing, invites him to the mall to relax a little. There, they talk about Raihan's soulmate and he expresses his worries about the matter.</p><p>After a long talk, Raihan lays out his plan.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Heya!! Even if this chapter features only Raihan and Nessa, it's still relevant to develop Raihan and Leon's relationship. I want to feature Raihan's friends in multiple chapters to get to know them a little better, without stealing the spotlight. I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “Hello,” Leon said. “Do you know how to get to the Principal’s office?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Raihan’s muscles tensed as he heard him speak, his chest felt a sudden lack of air and his throat was even more dry than it usually was. Hardly a day had passed, but he couldn’t forget those dull and boring words that appeared on his skin when he turned eighteen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Those were the words of his soulmate. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “It’s on the second floor…” Raihan babbled after a while, just being able to say those words.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Could you accompany me…?” Leon asked. “I still get a little lost in this school.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Even if he was trying his best to ignore that fact, even if he tried so hard to convince himself that soulmates were just a waste of time, Raihan couldn’t avoid that feeling of uneasiness that grew bigger each second. Now that he knew who was his soulmate, what was he supposed to do? It was a guy that he neither knew nor liked, so it made everything even more difficult. Everytime he looked at Leon during class it was awkward, because it seemed like he was the only one aware of what was happening.</p><p>Nessa was the only one who noticed Raihan’s sudden change of attitude, like the way he anxiously tapped his foot every time they went out or how he looked like he always had something on his mind. Worried about the wellbeing of his friend, she invited him to the local mall on the weekend. Raihan agreed reluctantly, which was something that Nessa was used to—after all, Raihan always preferred to hide his problems from the world and bottle them up. That was his way of being, but Nessa couldn’t handle it anymore; Raihan was acting even more weird each passing day so she had to do something, at least find out what was troubling him.</p><p>Saturday arrived faster than everyone expected, and the first week of school ended in the blink of an eye. Nessa arrived early to the mall, dressed in a skirt and a stylish crop top—she always had that model look that made everyone else stare in awe. In the central area of the mall there was a beautiful and elegant fountain, in which Nessa had taken a seat, crossing her legs and scrolling through her social media. The sound of the water was relaxing, just the type of sounds she’d like to hear after a long day. Even if she was paying attention to her phone, she still noticed the silhouette of a man in front of her. When she stared at him, Raihan’s tall presence made her smile—she knew he could be noticed miles away thanks to his height.</p><p>“Hey,” said Raihan, putting his hand on the pockets of his hoodie.</p><p>“It was about time, Raihan.”</p><p>“Oh, come on,” Raihan grunted irritably. “Give me a break.”</p><p>“I’m joking,” said Nessa while getting up the fountain. She put her phone on her purse, small enough to fit only that and maybe something else. To look at Raihan, she had to have her head tilted up. “Let’s go buy something to drink, shall we?”</p><p>Raihan nodded. At least during the weekend he didn’t have to deal with the pressure of seeing his soulmate all the time. He didn’t like to see Leon and immediately remember those stupid words written on his ankle, and the thing he hated the most was that Leon didn’t stop being near him—but he wasn’t to blame for that, after all, Leon was a new student in a classroom full of strangers, of course he’d like to hang out with the only person he barely knew. Nevertheless, Raihan couldn’t stop wondering why him, out of everyone else in that classroom. They didn’t even share hobbies or interests, how could he be his soulmate?</p><p>The mall was several stories tall, with many alleys and corridors that lead to many stores, able to please any person’s needs and wants. Raihan accompanied Nessa to the third floor, in which there was a popular cafeteria, frequently visited by teenagers, and she bought two coffees. The foam cup was too small for Raihan’s big hands, and it also looked comically tiny because of Raihan’s height.</p><p>Nessa didn’t want to force the conversation, or at least not in a place where Raihan wasn’t relaxed. She knew him very well, so she imagined that he would be completely defensive if she asked anything about his current state. After drinking their coffees, they went to the big arcade that was on the last floor that Raihan loved. The Dance Dance Revolution stage was their favorite game, and it was the first one they played. After many, many rounds, in which the two of them ended sweating, laughing after a good match and with tons of arcade tickets on their hands, they went to the food court to rest a little bit.</p><p>Raihan’s legs were too big to fit below the small table they were sitting on, so he spreaded them, invading Nessa’s space. Nessa was sitting gracefully with her legs crossed. None of them were a fan of the fast food that those placed served, but it was better than to leave with an empty stomach. In front of Nessa, a hot dog lied alongside a big soda that she took to take a sip.</p><p>“I almost beat you,” said Nessa after putting the soda back on the table.</p><p>“You didn’t stand a chance, face it,” answered Raihan, leaning forward to her. His arms covered almost the entirety of the table, being uncomfortable enough to put his hands behind his neck seconds after. On his face there was a sly smile, showing those pointy fangs that he liked to show off every time he had the chance, like that time that it seemed like he was tasting victory itself. Raihan never wanted to let himself get beaten at something. “By the way, aren’t models supposed to eat healthy or something?”</p><p>“Today’s my cheat day,” she said immediately. Seconds after, she looked everywhere, as if she was making sure that none of her agents were near that place. After confirming that there was no one on sight, she paid attention to her food again. “There’s nothing wrong with eating things like these once in a while. But don’t worry, I’m eating healthy every day.”</p><p>Nessa smiled and then continued to enjoy that food. She knew that was the perfect moment to spill out all of her questions, because she looked how tired and relaxed Raihan was.</p><p>“So…” Nessa said, lowering her voice. Her tone was even more serious than ever. “What is it, Raihan? Why are you acting so weird?”</p><p>Raihan’s oblivious smile disappeared after hearing those questions. He should’ve imagined that she was going to bring that up sooner or later, after all, that was the reason they met that day. He looked away without thinking too much, just to find the right words to answer at all. When he was finally able to talk, he looked at her again. He leaned forward, approaching her, with an unusually cold stare on his eyes—Raihan could be somewhat apathetic sometimes, like a spoiled child, but this time he was like ice itself.</p><p>“Can I trust you?”</p><p>When he spoke, his fangs showed off again. He looked like a predator about to hunt a prey, something that surprised even Nessa. Luckily, she wasn’t going to let herself be intimidated by Raihan’s actions or expressions. She was used to seeing people trying to make themselves look bigger in order to get something from the people around them, so she knew how to remain calm like the ocean in those situations. </p><p>“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Nessa asked, raising an eyebrow. “I won’t say a word, so don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Raihan glared at Nessa, wanting to intimidate her with his fierce eyes, so she would back down and change the topic. But Nessa was not going to let herself be scared away by someone like Raihan. After some seconds, Raihan went back to his own chair; giving up on his task to win. His hands went behind his neck again, like if it was a white flag. Everything was too much for him in that moment—if it were about something else, he wouldn’t have backed down, even if his life depended on it.</p><p>“I think I’ve found them,” Raihan said shortly after.</p><p>Nessa put both arms on the table, one hand on the other, gracefully. After hearing him, she frowned, tilting her head in an attempt to find some logic in Raihan's words.</p><p>“You found who?”</p><p>Silence invaded the conversation. Even if there were people sitting on the other tables, and the music was incredibly loud in that crowded place, it was like their topic of conversation blocked away any other sound. None of them was paying attention to the distractions in the food court. Raihan seemed reluctant to answer, but after saying so little and letting her bring up the topic, he couldn’t back down like a coward. He had to get to the bottom of that, even as a way of speaking up his mind.</p><p>“I’ve found the person of my words,” said Raihan, letting out a sigh. “My soulmate or whatever.”</p><p>Nessa seemed confused at first, not knowing what he was talking about, until she heard the last part. Of course, his soulmate! How could she forget? Maybe she was used to ignoring everything about the legend for so many years, until Raihan proved that it existed.</p><p>“But,” Raihan intervened before Nessa could say anything. “I don’t think I’ll fall in love with them. They’re not my type.”</p><p>Even if she couldn’t handle the curiosity, she knew that Raihan wasn’t going to spill out any names. She was fine with that, because she didn’t want to force him to talk about things he didn’t want to. She looked away, looking for an appropriate answer somewhere else. After some seconds, she stared at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.</p><p>“And what are you gonna do?” Nessa asked. “They are your soulmate, after all.”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he grunted. Like an instinct, he took out his phone to check his social media. Doing so always managed to distract him a little, at least when he was feeling all that pressure. “But I don’t really believe in such things.”</p><p>“If you didn’t believe in that, you wouldn’t be so stressed right now,” Nessa answered. Her words made Raihan frown, and his defensive attitude saw the light again, like if he didn’t want to accept the truth. Nessa went silent for a while, until she got an idea. “Or are you scared that it’s unavoidable?”</p><p>“I don’t want it to be them, that’s all.”</p><p>“Destiny put the cards on the table, Raihan,” said Nessa. “It’s not like you’re gonna fool destiny or something.”</p><p>Nessa laughed at her own words, because it was a meaningless joke. Nonetheless, not hearing Raihan laugh caused her some worry. When she stared at him, she saw on his face a sly smile, completely different from the serious expression that he had a second ago. Nessa raised her eyebrows, knowing that Raihan was having, probably, the worst idea in the history of mankind.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you wanna fool destiny, Raihan…”</p><p>“I’ll just say that…” Raihan leaned forward again. “You just had the best idea ever, Nessa.”</p><p>She knew she was right. She knew she couldn’t joke around Raihan because he was going to take her seriously. She massaged her temple, knowing that she was going to get involved in every aspect of Raihan’s atrocious plan. Why couldn't he attempt to talk to his soulmate and get to know them like every other person in the world?</p><p>“It’s not written in stone that I have to be with my soulmate,” explained Raihan. “It’s just a person, it’s not like I’m not gonna fall in love ever again in my life. Nothing is stopping me from just finding someone else and pretend this whole thing about soulmates ever happened.”</p><p>“And what if you fall in love with them?”</p><p>“Not gonna happen. I’m sure of it.”</p><p>Nessa sighed. Raihan had good arguments: having a soulmate does not necessarily limit him from dating other people, and knowing who was his soulmate didn’t forbid him from falling in love with someone else. Nevertheless, she wasn’t sure that plan was going to work, but it was impossible to take that idea out of Raihan’s mind.</p><p>Shrugging, she let Raihan continue with his plan for as long as he wanted. She knew him since they were young, as they were always the popular ones, so she knew that when he had an idea, there was no human way of making him change his mind. He was convincing, with ways of speaking capable of making people follow his lead, including her. The thing she hated the most was that she was letting him continue with his plan because it seemed like a <em> good idea.  </em></p><p>To change the topic, Nessa looked for something in her purse. She then slided a cardboard ticket across the table, with an invitation printed on it.</p><p>“What’s this?” Raihan asked.</p><p>“It’s a VIP ticket,” said Nessa as Raihan took the ticket to read the invitation. “For my next catwalk, I mean. It’s next month, so you can have plenty of time to prepare yourself.”</p><p>“You don’t usually invite me to your catwalks. That’s sus.”</p><p>Nessa frowned irritably and opened her hand.</p><p>“Then give it back to me.”</p><p>“It’s a joke, Nessa!” Raihan pressed the ticket close to him, in order to protect it. Nessa could be scary when she wanted. “I’ll be there, I swear.”</p><p>Seeing as her strategy worked out, Nessa relaxed her expression and smiled again. Raihan could be intimidating with his height and his fangs, but Nessa was so much worse—she could be beautiful like the ocean but cold as an iceberg. For that reason, Raihan tried his best to keep her happy. But on other occasions, it was way funnier to make her mad.</p><p>Luckily for Raihan, the topic of conversation changed quickly. In reality, they didn’t have much in common, apart from the fact that they were some of the most popular people at school for any reason. They still managed to become friends in the end, and every time something happened, Raihan went to Nessa for some advice. Even if she was a little distant at times, she still worried about him as a friend, the same way she worried about Sonia, for example.</p><p>When they went out of the arcade, they walked around the mall for some time, until Nessa had to go. It wasn’t easy to be a model who always had to go to the studio, but Nessa managed to organize her time like a natural, with grace and a smile on her face. They said goodbyes at the entrance of the mall, and when he lost her sight, he decided to leave too.</p><p>On his way home, his mind could only flutter around the conversation he had earlier. Raihan was trying his hardest to ignore everything concerning Leon but, accidentally, he ended up thinking about him again. No matter how much effort he put into, Leon wouldn’t get out of his mind, and he didn’t like to know that he was his soulmate. His mind repeated that conversation they had at school, in which he heard the words of his soulmate for the first time. Raihan hated not being able to forget those purple strands of hair, those golden eyes or his smile that shone like pearls.</p><p>When he arrived home, he put his arm on the door before entering. The sunset painted the sky beautifully and illuminated Raihan’s face softly. He took out his phone, trying to find some distraction on his notifications and the countless messages he had yet to read.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Han! Could you help me with history?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That message from Leon made him sigh in the spot. It was as if he was reading his mind all this time. Every time he tried to take him out of his head, he made sure to stay present. The worst part is that he didn’t have the heart to reject him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Okay-” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Are you free tomorrow? I could go to your house.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He just had to fool destiny, right?</p><p>How difficult it could be?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!! I know there might be some mistakes because English is not my first language.</p><p>I really liked portraying Nessa in this chapter—she may be a little cold at times, but she still worries a lot about her friends and they appreciate that. She's also really strong. And her friendship with Raihan is hilarious, but they still have each other's back. I liked making parallels with her game counterpart with all the references to the ocean.</p><p>Next chapter is an important one, so keep and eye on it!! Also, expect some Leon-centric chapters in the future.</p><p>Any support is appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Moving forward</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Milo invites his friends to his family farm in the weekend. Raihan thought that it was going to be a nice, relaxing day, but he wasn't expecting to find out that Leon was going too.</p><p>And maybe, just maybe, destiny was working in mysterious ways.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was longer than usual so it took me a lot more to finish. I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> He just had to fool destiny, right? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> How hard could it be? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>The everyday life at Galar High was as normal as you’d expect. It was surprising to even imagine that, through the hallways, a fairytale-like legend traveled, across the classrooms and from people to people. But still, maybe it was the younger students who played childish games, or the teenagers who snuck in video game consoles or the seniors who dreamed about the future; but this highschool managed to look as boring like any other. Who would have thought that a lady named Destiny, put the cards on the table in that game of life? Things like soulmates, that were chosen for the people since the beginning of time, and even destiny could predict the first words they would say to each other, seemed almost fake for some people.</p><p> </p><p>Raihan wanted to believe it was fake.</p><p>He really wanted to.</p><p> </p><p>He tried his best to ignore every trace of Leon’s closeness that increased during class. Keeping that disinterested expression was not that difficult, since he wasn’t really faking it. And everyday he spent with him, he wondered how someone like Leon could be his soulmate. Those were the cards of destiny he couldn’t understand but, luckily for him, it just made it easier to fool. He wasn’t having a hard time keeping his distance from Leon, since he could only see him as a classmate.</p><p>Almost a month had passed since they first started classes, and Raihan was already getting used to that loneliness he felt everyday in that big classroom. But it wasn’t like he was completely alone—after all, he was one of the most popular guys in school, so he was always surrounded by people, including Leon. He just wasn’t able to form a deep connection to other people the same way he did with his friends in the other classroom. He didn’t give Leon a chance because he knew that is what his destiny wanted—he wasn’t superstitious, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the reason he was separated from his friends, was to force him to talk to Leon and make him meet his soulmate. But Raihan wasn’t going to let himself be fooled so easily. Ignoring Leon and every bit of him was easier than he thought, especially when he was reunited with his friends during the recess.</p><p>Behind the school there was a desolate area, where couples or the most rebellious students met. In front of the baseball field, there were some bleachers, in which Raihan and his friends sat to talk about themselves or about others. Or at least that’s what Raihan did. Nessa didn’t like to talk about other people that much, Milo was too nice for that and Piers couldn’t care less about that. Raihan rolled up his sleeves as he stretched his legs across the bleachers, with his school jacket’s buttons opened. Milo was wearing his uniform properly, but due to the size of his muscles, it looked like his shirt could rip open at any given second. Nessa always had that elegant look on her, with her short skirt and the cute bow tied on her chest; even her oversized hoodie looked good on her. Piers, on the other hand, had his shirt lightly untucked; even if everything was really clean, it didn’t seem like he cared about his appearance.</p><p>“Hey,” said Milo when he had the chance. “Are you guys free this weekend? I thought you could come to my farm to help us.”</p><p>“And how come you’re inviting us out of the blue?” Nessa asked, raising her eyebrow.</p><p>“I just thought we could spend some time together!” Milo explained, raising his hands to the chest, with an innocent grin on his face. “It’s been awhile since we went out together, that’s all.”</p><p>“I’ll go.” Raihan answered almost immediately.</p><p>“That was fast,” Piers said sarcastically, snorting. “Are you that desperate to go out?”</p><p>“I know you’ll go too, Piers,” Raihan answered, grunting and rolling his eyes. “Oh, wait, no. You’d better go. I know you have your concert soon and all, but you still need to relax a lil’ bit.”</p><p>Piers looked away for a few seconds. He knew Raihan was right, but he didn’t want to admit it. Even if he was a disinterested and lonely person in general, he actually enjoyed spending his time with them. It was something that he didn’t understand fully—why he enjoyed being with such a group that had nothing in common. Everyone was so unique in their own ways, but still, they chose to spend their time together. That’s something he would never understand.</p><p>“What about you, Nessa?” Milo asked.</p><p>“Count me in,” Nessa replied with a grin on her face. “But I’ve never done that kind of work before, but I’ll do my best.”</p><p>“Then everything’s all set!” Raihan exclaimed. “Let’s all meet up at Milo’s home this weekend!”</p><p>“Someone’s excited,” Nessa mocked him, laughing afterwards. Before letting Raihan answer or defend himself, she leaned forward to Milo. “Do you mind if I invite Sonia too? We were supposed to go out somewhere together on Saturday.”</p><p>“I don’t mind,” Milo answered. He couldn’t explain to himself why he was feeling so sweaty around Nessa. “The more the merrier.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>The air was still cool when the Sun started to rise early in the morning, as birds chirped loudly far away from the city. Where the big skyscrapers couldn’t reach or all the mechanical sounds wouldn’t be heard, a family farm stood proudly. There, roosters announced that it was officially morning. A beautiful saturday like day could easily be, for some, a day to rest after a long week, but for Milo and his family, it was another day of work.</p><p>That morning, Milo woke up earlier than usual to meet his friends who were going to his house. He put on his farmer hat and adjusted his blue overalls to go to the nearest train station, since that was the fastest way to get there. After seeing them getting down the train, it was no surprise to find the three of them with clothes not suited for work, so Milo just laughed as he approached them.</p><p>“What is necessary to make us come here this early?” Raihan asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was crystal clear that he just woke up. “The sun’s just rising.”</p><p>“It’s not that early, at least for me,” Milo explained, smiling and trying to not laugh at Raihan’s expression. He could see that not even the Great Raihan could handle being an early riser for once. Milo looked over to Nessa. “Is your friend coming, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, Sonia will get here later,” Nessa replied. “I didn’t want to wake her up this early.”</p><p>“Why did you invite her?” Raihan asked. </p><p>“I promised her we would go out today,” said Nessa. “And I know she likes animals and these things, so when I told her I’d come here, she almost jumped out of her seat.”</p><p>“Perfect,” Milo nodded in agreement with a smile on his face. “Then I’ll make enough food for all of us.”</p><p>“Actually…” Piers intervened. Out of all of them, he looked the most normal. Maybe it was due to his usual tired expression that made his tiredness not stand out at all. “I can help you with that, I guess.”</p><p>“You’ll help me?” Milo was genuinely surprised by his request, but shortly after he smiled. He was, without a doubt, the most wholesome person ever. “I’d really appreciate it, Piers. Let’s do our best!”</p><p>“I’m sure we’ll do great,” Nessa said, walking towards Milo and leaning on his shoulder; a thing like that was easy, since she was a lot taller than him. “So, what do we do first?”</p><p>“Well, first we could…” Milo gulped as he smelled Nessa’s new perfume so close. Nonetheless, he noticed something that caught his attention. “Are you gonna work with those fine nails, Nessa? It’d be a shame if they were to break or something. I can help you cut them.”</p><p>Nessa looked at her own fingernails. She couldn’t help but laugh in embarrassment. Even if she was used to being complimented, when Milo said those things, it was different—she knew he was being honest, and had no intentions of getting something in return for his words. And he also was right, it would be sad if she ended up getting dirt under her nails, for example.</p><p>“Are you going to do it, Milo?” Nessa asked.</p><p>“Yeah, sure! I have some experience helping my sisters with that and all, so I can definitely do it,” Milo exclaimed. “But first, we need to get to my house.”</p><p>Nessa looked at her nails, thinking about how she would cut them without losing their charm. Milo went on ahead through the streets, and in the distance, a big red barnyard could be seen, along with the vast fields designated for the animals. It wasn’t a long road, and it helped the three guests to liven up a bit. As they drew closer, a small house stood in front of the farm, and its stone roads covered in dirt gave that rural look to it. Milo stopped at the door and turned to his friends.</p><p>“We’ll be right back!” said Milo with a high-pitched voice and a nervous laugh. “You two can go grab some eggs at the chicken-pen, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>After pointing to the direction of the chicken-pen, both Nessa and Milo went inside the house. It was impossible to get lost on the way, at least for Piers and Raihan, who didn’t waste any time. The way there made the smell of the animals even more obvious, and it was something that neither of them was used to. They were two guys who had always lived in the city, so imagining living there was not a pleasant thought. When they arrived, the gentle rays of the sun illuminated the wooden structure where the hens lived. There were more than a single chicken-pen, but something like that was expected. The clucking sounds of the hens made the atmosphere feel like it was a whole new place—but it was; they just felt lost, as if they didn’t belong there. Luckily for them, they found a group of baskets piled up on the sides, so they quickly began to work.</p><p>Some minutes passed where no word was said by them, as they were getting used to the sounds of the hay when they stepped on it or the strange smell of the dirt. Once the two of them grew used to the work that, by the time, didn’t seem tiresome, Raihan raised his voice.</p><p>“So, Piers, whaddya think?” said Raihan. “Are those two gonna end up together or what?”</p><p>“I thought the answer was obvious,” Piers, who was sitting on the ground, stood up and cleaned the dust on his leather pants. “After all, Milo didn’t let us go into the house with them.”</p><p>“I see,” Raihan laid aside the basket and put his hands behind his neck, with a sly smile on his face. “They probably have been dating for a while now, and didn’t say a word to us. How mean…”</p><p>“Maybe they aren’t dating yet,” Piers interrupted. Even if he was an introverted person, Piers still spent all his time with them, so he was prone to notice the little details. “I don’t think Milo confessed yet. You should give him a hand.”</p><p>“Me?” Raihan pointed to himself. “Wait a second, you just want me to get involved so I tell you everything, right?”</p><p>Raihan went out of the chicken-hen and approached Piers. With his hands on his hips, Raihan leaned towards the other, smiling slyly and raising his eyebrows. Piers looked at him for a second, and quickly turned his gaze to the chickens and their eggs.</p><p>“I just want to do something good for them,” answered Piers with an irritated voice, frowning. “You’re always making things up.”</p><p>“You’d be cuter if you just admitted the truth,” Raihan laughed. Mocking Piers was always hilarious. “And what about you? Do you have someone in mind?”</p><p>Piers left the basket on the ground and pointed at Raihan. His eyes twitched angrily, maybe it was because of Raihan’s words or due to his bad mood. When he approached the other, Raihan noticed how his eye bags were even darker that morning.</p><p>“I have a little sister and a musical career to worry about,” said Piers, slowly and with a dry voice. “So, no, Raihan. I don’t have someone on mind because I don’t have time for that, okay?”</p><p>Raihan saw the challenge. Every time Piers looked at him that way, talking slowly and trying to assert his dominance, only made Raihan more eager to compete. His brow furrowed the same way as he stood up tall, trying to make himself look more ferocious with his height. On his face there was an unbreakable smile, that sometimes hid secrets and thoughts.</p><p>Luckily for the two of them, just when Raihan was about to reply, the sound of the hay being stepped on resonated in the silence. Milo had brought a couple more baskets on his arms, and he put them alongside the guy’s baskets that were almost full. He shook his hands, cleaning the dust and, without wasting any seconds, he started to work.</p><p>It was completely obvious that Milo had been working there all his life, as the speed in which he grabbed the eggs made Raihan and Piers look useless in comparison. They had enough moments to laugh, like when he couldn’t help but laugh when a hen pecked Nessa’s leg, and when she was going to get mad for that, Milo was always there to maintain peace. Thanks to Milo, they managed to finish the job pretty quickly.</p><p>Shortly after, they went to clean the troughs and other places for the animals to eat. Sometime after, Raihan took a seat on top of a bale of hay. He was sweating intensely, trying to catch his breath. When he looked at his phone, he almost fell down after he noticed that, after so much work, just half an hour had passed—he thought it was almost midday already! Milo could only laugh at the horror painted on his face.</p><p>The three guests, after experimenting a pinch of the hard work Milo had to face, could only feel respect for him. They knew he woke up early every single day to help his parents with some work before going to school, traveling that long distance like it was nothing. Somehow, he managed to do his farm work and get good grades at school; to their eyes, Milo was a superhero. And he didn’t go out during the weekends to help in every way he could. The amount of effort Milo put everyday was unrivaled, as he managed to do all of that with a smile on his face—he even brought cookies that he baked himself sometimes!</p><p>Time passed painfully slow for those who didn’t have the experience. When Milo announced that it was already midday, their faces lit up comically. At least their company managed to make the work easier and a lot funnier with all the jokes and mockery. Milo took all of them inside his small but cozy house; in there, both Raihan and Nessa went directly to the living room, drinking a lot of water to cool down. Piers and Milo were in the kitchen preparing lunch; Milo insisted Piers to also go to the living room to relax a little, but he was more eager to help there, so he had no choice but to agree.</p><p>The sound of the door knocking made Nessa stand up and look out the window. Raihan didn’t pay much attention to that, as he was more interested in the fan that was blowing in front of him.</p><p>“Are they here, Nessa?” Milo asked.</p><p>Even if they weren’t talking to him, Raihan couldn’t help but notice a certain detail that Milo just said. <em> They? </em>He thought Sonia was coming alone. But maybe his mind was playing dirty tricks on him.</p><p>Nessa affirmed that they arrived, and didn’t waste any time and went out of the house. With the door half-open, Sonia’s voice could be heard in the distance, greeting Nessa. As they entered the house, Sonia and Nessa were already having a conversation, but it was almost as if Sonia was giving Nessa a lecture about the benefits of collecting one’s eggs in a farm. Since the conversation wasn’t really interesting for him, he began to ignore it. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the cool breeze that the fan provided him, and only half-opened an eye when he stopped feeling the air, even if he could hear that the fan was still on.</p><p>In front of him, a familiar figure stood in the way between him and the fan. When he stared up, those purple strands of hair, those golden eyes and that smile that shone like pearls brought back countless memories. <em> He had the worst luck ever. </em>The last thing he wanted to remember was his soulmate, as the main reason he was there was to forget about him. But there was Leon again, making Raihan think that maybe destiny was trying a bit too hard to put him everywhere he went.</p><p>“Hi, Han!” said Leon. He took off his black snapback and took a seat alongside him on the couch. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Sonia told me that Nessa was going to be here along with some friends, but I thought it’d be other friends.”</p><p>“Where did that come from?” Raihan asked. “That nickname. <em> Han </em>or whatever.”</p><p>Leon blinked repeatedly, genuinely surprised by his question. He raised his eyebrows.</p><p>“It’s just a nickname, don’t you like it?”</p><p>For the first time, Raihan stared at Leon. He looked at the concern of his face and the way he was almost hurt; it was like he could see the cracks in Leon’s soul, the fear of being rejected. Everytime he looked at him, he remembered those words printed on his ankle that wouldn’t let him live; he remembered his goal of fooling destiny, whatever it takes; but, above all, he remembered that he wasn’t mean enough to make Leon feel down or rejected. Actually, Leon didn’t do anything wrong—he just was a new student who wanted to feel included somewhere; he wanted to blend in and feel like he belonged there, and Raihan, even if he wanted to avoid him, could not deny him of that right. They were in their last year of highschool, the least he could do is be that friend he so desperately needed.</p><p>After all, he didn’t have to see him after they graduated.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Raihan sighed. “Call me whatever you want. Just… don’t call me something embarrassing.”</p><p>For a split second, Raihan was able to see the change in Leon’s expression. The muscles of his face, that were tensed due to the worry of having ruined his first friendship, suddenly relaxed and his smile widened from ear to ear. His cheeks were painted by a soft red glow that made his cheekbones stand out, and his eyes crinkled due to the big grin on his face. Raihan couldn’t help it but smile too, as Leon’s grin was contagious, like if he was the Sun itself; nonetheless, Raihan quickly looked away in order to hide his expression from him.</p><p>It wasn’t long until the sweet aroma of freshly made food invaded the living room. Shortly after, Milo and Piers put the plates on the dining table, which was already decorated with a white tablecloth. The smell managed to whet anyone’s appetite, especially those who had been working all morning. They all sat on the dining table to eat, without wasting any second. Milo smiled after seeing all the seats full, with people laughing and telling all kinds of stories—he was used to being alone with his parents and siblings, so it wasn’t something exciting. Even Piers, who was expected to be in silence or ignoring everything else, was having fun; he just was too good at hiding it, but the way he looked down in an attempt to hide a little smile gave it away. Nessa and Sonia always had something to talk about, it was amazing to see it—they were so different from each other but still had so much in common.</p><p>After finishing the food, they were feeling better than ever. Even those who were exhausted from the hard work, like Raihan and Piers, could go back to the fields to give everything they’ve got. With more hands to help and more energy than before, Milo took them all to the entrance of his house. He had a paper on his hand with a list written on it, with the jobs he assigned them.</p><p>“Piers and Raihan…” said Milo and then looked at them. “Can you feed the horses in the stable?”</p><p>Raihan nodded without saying anything. When he turned to look at Piers, he saw the long sigh that he let out—maybe it was because he had to work with Raihan yet again, or he actually didn’t care. Milo then looked at Nessa and Sonia and raised the list to his face.</p><p>“Would you mind helping me clean the farmyard?” he asked. They both nodded, so he then turned to look at Leon. “It would really help me if you watched over the sheep, Leon. I know you’ll do great!”</p><p>When they all had their chores, the little groups went on their own different ways. That farm was gigantic, and it was surprising to see how every nook and cranny played an important role in it. It could be seen miles away that Milo’s family had been doing that for many generations.</p><p>Even if Raihan and Piers were like an odd couple, with Raihan making Piers’ life hell and Piers answered with coldness or anger, they still managed to get the work done. The bales of hay were good seats for them after their job was finally finished. Even if they didn’t do much, they were still exhausted, and their clothes were covered in dust and hay. Some minutes passed, in which they were catching their breaths, and they decided to go out and see what the others were doing.</p><p>Going out of the stable meant that they had to get blinded by the Sun, that was on its highest point of the day. Or that’s what they thought, at least. Their surprise was immeasurable when they went out and saw the faint light of the afternoon covering the sky, filling their view with an orange scenery. Piers was leading the way, way hunched than ever; the exhaustion that he had been accumulating all day long was taking its toll—after all, he had woken up early that day and he always got sleepy after eating. Raihan walked behind him, with his hands behind his neck and looking to the sides. During that walk, he suddenly caught sight of a silhouette that was very familiar to him; it was Leon, who was standing in the middle of nowhere, looking for someone… or something.</p><p>Raihan frowned. What the hell was Leon doing? Still, it wasn’t his business so he didn’t want to get involved, yet at the same time, he couldn’t risk Leon slowing the working process… Reluctantly, he sighed, hating the kindness of his heart. He would give everything to be as indifferent as he pretended to be, he would love to be apathetic and cold like some others. He stopped walking and turned to Piers.</p><p>“I’ll catch you later, I need to do something first.”</p><p>Piers looked briefly at Raihan over his shoulder and didn’t say a word, he just kept walking. He knew he would have plenty of opportunities to question him later, so there was no need to worry about that at that moment. He was simply too tired to listen to one of his stories or excuses—whatever they were—, and he also didn’t want to deal with his mockery and jokes.</p><p>Once Raihan couldn’t see Piers anymore, as he entered the place where Milo, Nessa and Sonia were working, he walked towards Leon. He was standing behind the purple haired man, just looking at him for a few seconds. Leon had his hand open over his eyes, covering from the sun—even though he was using a snapback—, looking from side to side, looking for something with his eyes half closed. Raihan didn’t want to expect the worst, but his sixth sense told him that he should.</p><p>“Hey,” said Raihan to make him know he was there. “Whatcha looking for?”</p><p>Leon jumped on the spot, hiding his hands behind his back and turning around to see Raihan, who was smiling, even if his eyes showed a slight expression of boredom. He didn’t answer at first, and Raihan noticed how he was tapping the floor anxiously. After some seconds, he looked any other way as he took off his snapback to hide his face.</p><p>“I… got lost…” said Leon in a low voice, almost impossible to hear.</p><p>“You what?”</p><p>“I… I got lost,” repeated Leon, raising his voice and even looking at Raihan.</p><p>Raihan put his hands on his hips as he listened. His worst fears had become a reality that he wasn’t escaping soon. It wouldn’t be a surprise to him if Leon hadn’t started his work because he couldn’t find the way. That was bad; if Milo were to find out that he wasn’t done with his part, he would be disappointed. Raihan sighed, putting a hand on his face in order to think what he should do—he would need to intervene, after all.</p><p>“You had to watch over the sheep and take them back to their sheepfold, right?” asked Raihan. “Lemme help you. Come on, let’s go.”</p><p>In the blink of an eye, he could see how Leon’s eyes shone like the stars, excitedly; it was almost as if he was expecting to be humiliated for getting lost. Raihan led the way and Leon followed him, walking as fast as he could so he wasn't left behind.</p><p>It wasn’t long until they arrived at the huge field where the sheep were. It was an extensive place, with some trees in the distance that offered some shadow, and a cute Border Collie was walking around, watching over the sheep, attentive and responsible.</p><p>“They have a dog!” said Leon upon arriving. “It looks like he has everything under control.”</p><p>Leon’s gaze changed suddenly; that excited, cheery man was suddenly replaced by a more confident guy, who stood proudly, with his arms crossed on his chest. His muscles were the result of years of hard work, and his eyes were like those of a hero, or at least, that’s what they seemed to Raihan.</p><p>The purple haired guy approached the dog, clapping a couple times to indicate that it was time to get to work. The animal didn’t waste any second, moving in a zigzag manner through the pasture to lead the flock to the sheepbarn that could be seen in the distance. Leon followed it from behind, like if he were an experienced shepherd, even if that was his first time visiting that farm and taking care of those sheep. It was obvious from his way of acting and his confident steps that he knew exactly what he was supposed to do, there was no doubt as of why Milo didn’t assign him a partner; it was obvious that he didn’t need any help—even Raihan felt that he was wasting his time there, seeing from afar how Leon was doing all the work.</p><p>But Raihan said that he was going to help him, so he couldn’t be lazing around; not knowing what he had to do was not an excuse for him. He approached the entrance to the sheepbarn with his big steps, and he crouched in order to assure that no sheep was going to escape. He opened his arms and leaned forwards to catch any mischievous sheep that was planning to ignore the orders of the dog or the shepherd. Almost all of the flock entered without a problem, and when everything seemed to be alright, a playful individual, instead of going in the sheepbarn, approached Raihan and took off his orange hairband. It all happened in the blink of an eye, so Raihan couldn’t react in time, letting the sheep run away. The dog was busier making sure all the sheep got inside the sheepbarn, so Leon had to take action. He sprinted behind the sheep that was running with the hairband on its mouth. Raihan stood up and started walking in the opposite direction from the sheep to set it a trap in order to catch it.</p><p>The sheep, knowing that it had done something bad, ran away from Leon. Maybe it was its misfortune when he looked at Raihan in the middle of its path, but the sheep stopped suddenly and turned around, hoping to escape from him. That’s when Leon found his opportunity and caught it, using his body as a wall to prevent it from running away again. The dog quickly approached them and led the sheep safely to the sheepbarn, and after all of them were inside, he locked the door with its mouth.</p><p>In the middle of the field, Leon was gasping for air, completely exhausted from having to chase around the sheep in that immense place. Without thinking too much, he laid down on the pasture and looked at the sky—in the orange-filled firmament, some stars could already be seen, with the promise of the most beautiful view he had ever seen. He turned to Raihan from the floor and showed him his hairband—he wasn’t going to get up to give it to him, he would have to come for it. That was something that Raihan understood quickly.</p><p>Raihan sat down alongside him, hugging his long legs and also looking at the sky. Leon put the hairband on his knees, which made Raihan finally stare at him.</p><p>It was weird; he was able to spend all that time without remembering that Leon was, apparently, his soulmate. He forgot about that for the first time, even if they were alone.</p><p>“I didn’t think you’d come,” said Raihan to break the ice. “I thought it was just Sonia.”</p><p>“Oh, well… She told me about this trip and I asked her if I could go too,” revealed Leon, laughing shortly after. His sweet personality was back. “I hadn’t been on a farm since I was a kid, I missed this feeling.”</p><p>“Wait, what?” Raihan raised his eyebrow. “You used to be on farms?”</p><p>“Actually, yes,” Leon scratched his temple gently. “I used to live on a farm like this when I was younger, with my parents and my lil’ brother.”</p><p>“And why did you move?”</p><p>Leon went silent for a second. Raihan noticed how his eyes lost their brightness, as Leon looked away with an empty gaze, until he shook his head and stared at Raihan once again.</p><p>“When my dad passed away, we moved to the city.”</p><p>The air suddenly felt tense and heavy. Raihan didn’t know what to say, because it seemed as if they had reached a sensitive topic. He noticed how Leon’s lower lip trembled, as he didn’t want to talk about it. Raihan looked away, feeling genuinely guilty for having ruined the conversation.</p><p>Leon saw Raihan’s troubled expression, so he gulped in an attempt to ignore the scars from the past and smiled. He sat down beside him, hugging his legs like he was doing, and leaned towards him.</p><p>“Tomorrow’s my birthday,” said Leon, changing the topic. “I was thinking about inviting y’all to my house. My mum’s gonna make some food, so… Do you wanna come?”</p><p>Raihan appreciated the change of the topic from the bottom of his heart. When he looked at Leon, he saw his eyebrows raised, worried about being rejected. Once again, Raihan saw his fears in his eyes—he saw that new guy, scared of being left aside by the only group of friends that he could find in his new school. He saw someone worried about not being able to fit it and staying alone for the rest of the year. Raihan couldn’t be mean to someone like him, and also, it wouldn’t hurt anyone if he accepted his friendship.</p><p> </p><p>They would be just friends.</p><p>He could live with that.</p><p> </p><p>He smiled warmly, tousling his purple hair as he laughed.</p><p>“Of course I’ll go, dummy,” said Raihan. He turned to see the farm, and that spot in which they were sitting offered the best view ever, and it was even prettier when it was decorated with that beautiful sunset. “Do you have any farm stories? You know, like… anecdotes. Milo usually tells us some stories, but it would be interesting to hear yours.”</p><p>Leon laughed. The happiness of being accepted by someone, even if it was just one person, was enough to make him ignore the fact that he tousled his hair or called him dumb, even if he knew he didn’t have bad intentions. He looked at the farm, trying to find some memories hidden in the familiar places or in the scenery. He pointed at a lamb that was resting in the distance.</p><p>“In my farm there was a beautiful white lamb that I always took to my room without my mother knowing,” explained Leon. “My father knew about it, but he let me do it, but only if my mom didn’t find out.”</p><p>Raihan nodded, with that smile on his face that was not going to be easily erased. He could imagine it: a young boy running around his room with a lamb that was his size, and then hiding it under the bed when he heard her mother’s steps. It wouldn’t surprise him if Leon were that kind of kid when he was younger.</p><p>“And also…” Leon interrupted Raihan’s thoughts when he continued speaking. “I used to see the sheep when they slept… I always wondered if they counted humans to fall asleep.”</p><p>Leon laughed at his own words. Raihan followed him shortly after, because that kind of idea would only fit a guy like Leon. Finally, Raihan laid down on the grass, with both hands behind his neck and closing his eyes, in total peace. Leon saw him from above, letting his purple strands of hair cascade from his shoulder, and being a perfect curtain to hide them from the last sun rays of the day. He smiled while looking at him, and Leon thought that it was just because he was happy to have his first friend. Seconds after, he laid down besides him, with that smile that shone like pearls decorating his face, and closed his eyes too.</p><p>The exhaustion and relaxation made them rest there for a little bit, falling asleep together. Their bodies and their closeness offered the warmth they needed during the night that was silently approaching. Nonetheless, the sound of a gentle whistle woke them up. Raihan stood up first, and Leon was rubbing an eye, wondering how much time had passed and without being able to remember falling asleep in the first place. Raihan half closed his eyes, looking at the buffy figure of Milo, with his farm hat and his hand waving. It was already nighttime, and he could only see him thanks to the lights that were on. Raihan turned to Leon and shook his shoulder to wake him up. They both went to Milo’s house, in which everyone was waiting for them.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“Today was a great day!” Milo said, once everyone was reunited in front of his house. On his face there was the biggest smile ever. “We managed to finish everything we had to do, and it was thanks to you. Also, I loved to spend my day with you.”</p><p>“But today’s not the only day that we’ll be together,” said Sonia. “Because everyone is invited to Leon’s house tomorrow to celebrate his eighteenth birthday.”</p><p>“Yes!” Leon said, nervous. “I’ll have food and I’d like to see you there.”</p><p>“I’ll be there,” said Nessa, putting her hand on Leon’s shoulder. “After all, those are the most exciting birthdays in Galar High.”</p><p>Nessa and Sonia laughed. Raihan looked away, knowing perfectly that when the clock hit 12, some words would appear somewhere in Leon’s body. He knew him for almost a month, so he couldn’t remember what were his words when they talked for the first time—he could only remember the shock of listening to the words on his ankle.</p><p>But that didn’t matter at all, at least not now, because Raihan would fool destiny and their cards.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Traveling back home in a train was usually something boring, and even more so late at night. Raihan would usually be on his phone all the time, but on that occasion, he had a large group of friends by his side, telling stories and anecdotes of the day, or simply laughing about the things they didn’t even remember. Piers was the first one to get off at the central station, as he had to pick up his little sister that was attending her music class. Leon and Sonia got off next, because Sonia didn’t want to risk Leon getting lost on the way home. Nessa then got off at the nearest station from her apartment.</p><p>When he got home, Raihan was so exhausted that he didn’t waste any time and went directly to the shower and then, he went to his bed. The only lights in his room were the weak lamp on his nightstand and the screen of his phone. He was reading the messages from their groupchat, in which they were sending pictures of the day; some were pretty and others were shameful, perfect to post on someone’s birthday. But a certain private message popped up.</p><p> </p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “Hey, Raihan…” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “I need your opinion on something.” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “Sonia told me something about a rumour. When I turn eighteen, in my skin would appear the first words my soulmate will say to me.” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “Is it true? I mean, you’re eighteen.” </em></p><p> </p><p>Raihan bit his lip as he read those messages. He knew it was real, so real like fire was, or as real as the sunset they saw together that day. He knew that, sooner or later, the topic of soulmates was going to see the light of day.</p><p> </p><p><b>[Raihan]: </b> <em> “Yeap, it’s true.” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “And what are your words?” </em></p><p> </p><p>He sighed. He knew that destiny wanted him to tell Leon that he was his soulmate. He looked at his own ankle and read those words over and over again, those words that, apparently, only he was able to see. He remembered that day perfectly, how could he forget?</p><p>But he wasn’t going to lie, but also wasn’t going to say the whole truth. After all, the both of them could live without letting something as dumb as soulmates affect their lives, or at least, that’s what he was pretending to do. After some minutes in which he didn’t reply, he finally started typing again.</p><p> </p><p><b>[Raihan]: </b> <em> “It’s something dumb. I don’t know if my soulmate is someone I already know or if I’ll meet them later on.” </em></p><p><b>[Raihan]: </b> <em> “But don’t fret. Soulmates aren’t everything.” </em></p><p> </p><p>It’s not like he didn’t like Leon, he liked him as a friend. That was the keyword: <b> <em>friend. </em> </b>He didn’t want to go farther than that, because Leon wasn’t his type, even if that day proved to him that they could laugh and have fun without worrying about anything else.</p><p>He just didn’t want a couple, and couldn’t bear the idea of something like a soulmate ruining the friendship they already had. He just wanted to forget and pretend it never happened.</p><p> </p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “Maybe you’re right…” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “Well, I think you’re tired so I’ll let you sleep. Goodnight! See you tomorrow!” </em></p><p><b>[Leon]: </b> <em> “My words… I wonder what they’ll be.” </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Finally, Raihan and Leon got to talk without Raihan ignoring him, and they seem to get along really well! I'm excited to show you the next chapter, because all this time we've been seeing things from Raihan perspective—we know how he feels about it all, his words and stuff. But what about Leon? What will his words be? And how will this affect the plot?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Being able to love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leon was excited for his birthday, but not for normal reasons. Sonia had told him that, when the clock struck midnight on his eighteenth birthday, the first words his soulmate would say to him were going to appear on his skin.</p><p>But the words weren't exactly what he was expecting.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first rays of lights of the day slipped through the thin curtains, warming up the room and vanishing all traces of coldness of the night. The gentle rays were uncomfortable to the eyes of those who had been sleeping all night long, on a Sunday after a long day of hard work. Even if both sides of the bed were messy, as if two people had slept together that night, there was only a single man sleeping on it. His long, purple hair contrasted with the pristine, white bed sheets, cascading to his chest. One of his arms was laying on the side of the bed where another person should sleep on, and on his face were traces of dry saliva across the corners of his lips. Upon feeling the rays of sun, he squinted his eyes and shook his nose, putting his arm on his face in an attempt to cover his eyes from the sun. Even so, he had no way to fall asleep again, so he sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes. After finally waking up, he extended his arm to the nearby nightstand, where his phone had been charging. He stared at the screen, looking at all those birthday messages he had received that morning, and that’s when he remembered. All the laziness he had on his body vanished like thin air, and he stood up to go towards the mirror.</p><p>Leon blinked several times, seeing his own reflection and cleaning up the saliva that had dried up on his chin. Even after being eighteen years old, everything looked the same—his hair was still long enough to reach his waist, his eyes shone like gold itself and his beard was carefully cut. But, even so, he felt like he was someone entirely new, maybe it was the sense of superiority that came with age, or maybe it was the feeling of being able to say he was an adult. He wasn’t sure, he just knew that something was new in him.</p><p>Or at least he thought at first that nothing had changed. When he took his phone again, this time with his right hand, in order to answer those numerous messages from his classmates and family members, he noticed some letters written on his wrist that he didn’t remember having the night before. He frowned, reading the letters again and again on his mind—he was so sure that they weren’t there the night before, that he would put his hand on fire. He took his wrist with his other hand and tried to clean up that mark that seemed like ink with his thumb. But no matter how hard he rubbed, all his effort was in vain, since those letters still looked the same; and after a second look, they didn’t look like ink. It’s like they were a part of his skin.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Hey.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Like lightning, a conversation that he had had the night before struck his mind. Leon opened his eyes widely, reading those letters with a slower pace this time and, shortly after, he raised his eyebrows and pouted slightly. He looked at his left wrist, trying to find another message written somewhere else but, no matter how many times he looked, he couldn’t find anything else. It was impossible that those were his only words, right?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Sonia told me something about a rumour. When I turn eighteen, in my skin would appear the first words my soulmate will say to me.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Leon remembered that conversation he had with Raihan just some hours ago. Something that managed to surprise him and even make him look forward to that day, had been totally disappointing. He let out a heavy sigh from his lips, putting his arm down and staring at the mirror one more time. In the reflection he managed to see when the door behind him opened slowly, and some orange strands of hair appeared. Her jade eyes peeked through the door, blinking twice after seeing that Leon had woken up. She opened the door widely, revealing that she had been carrying a gift on her hands with some multicolored balloons.</p><p>“Leon!” said Sonia, “happy birthday!”</p><p>She went through the door, putting the presents on the nightstand and then approached Leon, hugging him tightly. She had stayed with him during the night, to wait when the clock finally struck midnight; but Sonia staying there wasn’t unusual—after all, Leon and her were like siblings, in a way. They had never felt something more than friendship, only enjoying their company as if they were family. That night had been the same, and they did the same things they did every time—they brushed their hair, watched movies and ate snacks; they were planning to be awake until midnight, but they were so tired after working all day at Milo’s farm that they couldn’t resist going to bed earlier than usual.</p><p>Sonia was still in her pajamas: a set of teal shorts and a white blouse, that matched Leon’s purple pants and white shirt. They did everything together since many years ago, so Sonia was able to read him like a book. It wasn’t hard for her to notice the troubled expression on Leon’s face—those raised eyebrows, tense shoulders and clenched hands were not proper of him, and she knew that he was trying to hide it behind a smile. Sonia crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, demonstrating to him that she didn’t believe the lie that he was trying to pull off, and after some seconds, she finally confronted him.</p><p>“You know you can’t lie to your best friend, right?” said Sonia. “Tell me what’s wrong, Leon.”</p><p>“It’s just that…” he answered, murmuring and avoiding her eyes. “Do you remember the thing about… the words?”</p><p>Sonia tilted her head slightly, opening her mouth in a small ‘o’ shape and blinking, genuinely confused. Nonetheless, some seconds after she finally understood what he was talking about. Smiling, she nodded.</p><p>“I do!” she affirmed. “Why?”</p><p>“Well…” Leon said, “just look.”</p><p>Leon raised his right arm, showing her his wrist in which that word was written on. His furrowed brow gave away the seriousness of the situation, which made Sonia scratch her temple gently, trying to find an appropriate answer. The eerie silence in which they were both drowning in was cut by Sonia’s gentle laugh, letting the corners of her lips tremble and her eyebrows rise in an attempt to appease the chills of her back, provoked by her nervousness.</p><p>“Is something wrong with your arm?” Sonia asked.</p><p>Leon was thunderstruck with her reaction, looking at his wrist and then at her, alternating his eyes between the two. He was pointing at the words with his sight, but Sonia only shrugged, smiling in the most natural way possible and shaking her head.</p><p>“I… I really don’t know what you mean,” Sonia said with a wobbly voice.</p><p>“Wait…” Leon’s furrowed brow deepened, staring at the letters on his wrist with even more intensity. “You can’t see them? You know, the words…”</p><p>Sonia stood quiet for some seconds, half-closing her eyes, trying to find the words on his wrist that no matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t going to find. She leaned towards him, looking for a trace, even the smallest thing that proved that his best friend wasn’t going crazy on his birthday. After giving up, she returned to her original position and shook her head.</p><p>“Are you teasing me?” she asked, raising the pitch of her voice and staring him accusingly. Even so, she could see the despair on his eyes: those raised eyebrows and big eyes that were begging her to believe his words. Sonia couldn’t doubt an expression like that, so sincere, screaming so many things without saying anything, so she raised her own eyebrows and opened her mouth in surprise. “Wait, don’t tell me… is it true? I told you because it was a dumb rumour, but… do you really have something written in there?”</p><p>Leon nodded in agreement, with the speed of a person in a genuine need of being believed. He lowered his arm, hiding his wrist behind his back so Sonia couldn’t see.</p><p>“It says ‘hey’...” said Leon, being finally able to relax the muscles of his face. “It’s… it’s pretty dumb, isn’t it?”</p><p>He let a laugh escape from his lips—slow, dry and sour. He laughed to hide the frustration that those words made him feel. Or, maybe, it was the disappointment; he was eager to find some exciting words but instead, he found some lame and dull letters. But, what was he expecting to find? After all, life wasn’t a flashy movie where every word was planned to have a deep meaning, written in a script—but, even if life was a script, it seemed that he had gotten the most boring role of all.</p><p>Sonia leaned towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, managing to make Leon smile a little bit. She was like a sister to him, they knew each other since they were younger and couldn’t imagine a life without her and, just like siblings did, she made him smile when he needed it the most. With some small talk, Sonia managed to soothe him, telling him that he shouldn’t lose, not on his birthday. Changing the topic, she took him out of the room, leading him to the living room, where his mother and younger brother were waiting for him with balloons and presents.</p><p>A morning that didn’t start as planned was becoming so much better. On his birthday, his mother always took a picture of him; that year, his brother and he made crazy faces to the camera, to their mother’s surprise. Sonia helped him clean the house to make it look decent enough for his friends, who were coming over later, while his mother prepared the grill in the backyard.</p><p>Afternoon came sooner than expected. Just like people said, time passed quickly when doing something enjoyable—or when you had someone to be with when doing something boring. Once everything was ready, both Leon and Sonia took turns to take a shower and change into something more appropriate for the day. Leon wore a crop-top hoodie, long pants and a snapback. Sonia, on the other hand, wore a simple blouse and a short pencil skirt. She had been talking to Nessa that day, so she was the first one to know when Nessa and her friends were on their way.</p><p>The tickling sound of the doorbell caught them all by surprise. Sonia opened the door and greeted them with a smile on her face. The first one she saw was Nessa, who was carrying a letter on her hand while gracefully tilting her body to the side, highlighting her figure. Alongside her was Milo, who had a present on his hands. Behind them was Piers, who was carrying his guitar case on his back and, on his hand, he had his square-like amplifier. On the back of the group, Raihan stood tall, making his presence noticed; his eyes couldn’t stay still, as he was looking around, analyzing the place or, maybe, trying to ignore some thought that was bugging him. Sonia let them all in, and they quickly managed to liven up the house. Nessa was the first one who approached Leon, giving him a tight hug that he gladly accepted. Maybe she wasn’t as close to him as she was to Sonia, but Nessa still appreciated his friendship.</p><p>“Happy birthday, Leon,” Nessa said, still hugging him. When she stood back, she gave him the letter that she had been carrying. “I got this for you. Open it later, could you? I hope you like it.”</p><p>Nessa, as always, asserted her presence with her unrivaled elegance. But such a thing wasn’t unusual. She was the personification of grace in all its glory—her good posture, her body that was tilted slightly to her said, putting her weight on her waist; her pristine hands that laid one on her waist and the other, in front of her short skirt, and with one leg in front of the other. She was a model in and outside of the studio.</p><p>Milo walked towards Leon, carrying that gift on his hands that looked comically small in between his big muscles. The wrapping paper shone almost as bright as the smile on his face.</p><p>“Happy birthday,” said Milo, giving him the gift. “This is for you. I did my best.”</p><p>Leon took the gift and didn’t waste any time, opening it immediately. On the inside there was a long sleeve sweater, with a drawing of a white lamb printed on the center. Genuinely surprised, Leon blinked twice, looking at the image, and then staring at Milo like he was some mind-reading magician. Raihan stood alongside Milo, putting his arm on his head, with a subtle grin that partially revealed a fang.</p><p>“Actually, this gift is from the both of us,” Raihan clarified, “I told him to print the drawing.”</p><p>Milo laughed.</p><p>“It’s true,” Milo nodded. “I knitted this sweater some time ago, but it’s still brand new. The drawing was another story: I printed it on the sweater with a machine we have in my farm.”</p><p>Leon thanked them both, staring at the sweater one more time before putting it back on it’s present box. Somehow, he felt happy after knowing that Raihan remembered something that he said so casually. He wasn’t expecting him to remember his story about the white lamb at his parent’s farm, but feeling listened to meant so much for him. He felt included.</p><p>He then looked at Piers, who put the amplifier on the floor before Leon could say anything.</p><p>“Music,” he said, massaging his shoulder that was sore after carrying the amplifier for so long. “I brought the music or… whatever. Happy birthday, I guess.”</p><p>Even if he wasn’t that close to Piers, Leon had already been able to understand the meaning of everything he said—he was trying so hard to look cold, but on the inside, he still showed little traces of kindness that were so well hidden. He didn’t know what caused him to be like that, but he still enjoyed his company and agreed to the idea he proposed. Leon wished to be closer to him.</p><p>After some conversations at the front door, Sonia took them to the backyard, where Leon’s mother was waiting. She had already started to cook, so everyone else went to take a seat on the nearby chairs that Leon had arranged previously. Most of the topics they talked about were about their experience in Milo’s farm—short stories and jokes alike, looking at the pictures they took. Once they ate, everyone was doing their own thing—while Nessa, Sonia and Raihan were taking selfies, Milo and Leon were telling farm stories, and Piers was connecting his amplifier. Sonia proposed a karaoke competition, and asked Piers to play the guitar while they sang—they all laughed when Leon made Raihan sing a song he didn’t know the lyrics to.</p><p>At the end of the day, Piers closed the event singing some songs of his repertoire. Even if it hadn’t been said in stone, they all knew that was Piers’ real gift to Leon. Having a free, private concert was something he wouldn’t do for anyone else; after all, Leon knew Piers was a renowned musician. He had heard Piers’ songs before, but having a private show was like dreaming while being awake.</p><p>Once the atmosphere calmed down a bit, after a tiring day, Leon went back inside the house. In the living room, he looked for the letter that Nessa had given to him earlier and, because he wasn’t able to hold the curiosity any longer, he opened it. On the inside there was a ticket for a fashion show, whose blue, sea-like glow was the first thing that caught the eye, with its white pearls and seashells. It was as if a siren was inviting him to her realm. When he was about to put away the letter, he noticed the letters on his wrist that, apparently, only he could see. He read them again and again, deepening the furrow on his brow. He couldn’t help it but think about everyone else—what did they have written on their skin? It was probably introductions: “<em> Hello, my name is…!”, </em> or an address: “ <em> So, we’re always going to meet up at…?”. </em>Him, on the other side, only got a single word. A dull, simple word. A word that didn’t give him a clue of who that person could be, or where he could find them. He didn’t know if he already knew him or not. He wished, from the bottom of his heart, that his soulmate was so much more communicative than the first impression they were giving him.</p><p>“Hm.”</p><p>Like if it was dictated by fate, a voice behind his back made him snap out of his thoughts that were killing him inside. Leon jumped on his place upon hearing Raihan’s deep voice, putting the letter away quickly, hiding his back and hiding his wrist in the process. He gulped in an attempt to disregard that nervousness of his voice.</p><p>“Han!” Leon exclaimed, “Is something wrong?”</p><p>“No, I just wanted to see what you were up to,” Raihan confessed, while crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side, trying to see what Leon was hiding from him. “What do you have there?”</p><p>“Oh, this?” Slowly, Leon showed him Nessa’s invitation. “It seems like Nessa has a fashion show in some weeks.”</p><p>Raihan stared at him from the bottom to the top. He received the same letter some weeks ago, so he quickly recognized that design. Even so, he perfectly knew that the invitation wasn’t the reason he was so troubled. With sharp eyes, Raihan looked at him directly in the eyes.</p><p>“You know you can’t trick me, Leon,” he said. “What’s wrong? You can tell me. I won’t say a word to anyone else.”</p><p>Leon had his chest puffed, keeping air on his lungs, trying to look firm and not bothered at all. But, no matter how hard he tried, Raihan could read him like a book, seeing through his lies like if it were nothing. He let out the air he had been holding, sighing and putting his arms on the sides of his body.</p><p>“The rumour is true,” said Leon, beaten. “The words on my skin, I mean. I already read mine.”</p><p>Upon hearing his words, Raihan felt as if a thousand thorns pierced his throat. Even gulping seemed difficult, because he knew that he had to confront that topic sooner or later, but he didn’t think it would be that soon. He looked away for a second, in which Leon raised his voice again.</p><p>“It’s something stupid,” he said, sighing. “You were right, this is a waste of time.”</p><p>A tiny smile appeared on Raihan’s face for a split second after hearing that his words were something stupid. After all, and according to everyone else, he only said stupid things. He wasn’t surprised to know that he replied with something stupid to him the first time they talked. Shortly after, his serious expression came back to him.</p><p>“I told you,” said Raihan, looking at him again and hiding his hands on his hoodie. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t date anyone ever again. Don’t take it too seriously and live your life.”</p><p>“It’s just that…” Leon intervened, looking at his own shoes. “These kinds of things make me think that… maybe I don’t deserve to find someone who truly loves me. Maybe I’ll never find that person, maybe it doesn’t even exist! Maybe I’ll be alone all my life.”</p><p>The countless maybes were killing him.</p><p>Raihan frowned upon hearing him. He knew that they were soulmates, but still, he didn’t have the courage to tell him. He didn’t want to force Leon or himself to date only because something like destiny said so—such a thing wasn’t life, but a prison. He wanted to be free to do whatever he wanted, but… He wasn’t sure if he could hurt Leon in the process. He couldn’t choose between his freedom and not hurting him, and that thought was eating him alive.</p><p>Leon, who was looking at his shoes, couldn’t help it but look at the words on his wrist. While doing that, he noticed when Raihan approached him and took his arm, covering the words with his long fingers. Maybe Raihan couldn’t read what was written on it, but still, he managed to make him snap out of it without even trying. He stared at him, gulping to destroy that lump in his throat and with watery eyes.</p><p>“There’s no one who doesn’t deserve to be loved,” said Raihan, leading him to the outside. “I don’t know what’s written on you, but I’m sure you also deserve an unforgettable romance.”</p><p>Even if he was drowing in sadness, Leon was able to smile genuinely after hearing him. He raised his face proudly, nodding and closing his eyes afterward, letting a pair of tears flow down his cheeks and to the ground. In the way, he suddenly stopped walking, making Raihan also stop, looking at him. On his face, Leon had the brightest smile Raihan had ever seen—a smile that pierced through melancholy, insecurity and even sadness.</p><p>“I didn’t tell you before, but…” said Leon softly. Raihan approached him, still taking his hand. “... Thank you.”</p><p>Before he could say anything, Leon closed the distance between them by hugging him tightly, resting his head on his shoulder. Raihan, without knowing what to do, put his hands on his back and softly soothed him. After some seconds, Leon raised his face to look at him; this time, he raised his chin on Raihan’s chest, admiring his beautiful, ocean-like eyes.</p><p>“... Thank you for remembering my white lamb,” he clarified. “And also for being my first friend here.”</p><p>Raihan, who had previously raised his eyebrow in confusion, ended up smiling. He put a hand on his face, removing his purple strains of hair that were stuck on his humid cheek. He looked away for a second, staring at the people in the backyard who seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing—Raihan felt as if they were in a totally different world, one in which only the two of them existed.</p><p>“We’re friends, aren’t we?” said Raihan. Even if he knew that they weren’t only friends, but soulmates. “This is what friends are for.”</p><p>Without wasting any more time, Raihan stepped away from him and took his wrist again, pointing at the backyard with his chin.</p><p>“Let’s go eat some cake, shall we? I really hope it’s chocolate-flavoured,” Raihan added, laughing shortly after.</p><p>They both went out to the backyard and, for the first time in the day, Leon was able to forget the words on his wrist. Being with Raihan brought him so much peace, making him forget about his problems. Alongside him he felt comfortable, like if that friendship was meant to happen, as if Destiny itself had said so.</p><p> </p><p>But he couldn’t stop thinking about what he said.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Did everyone deserve to be loved? </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em> Even him? </em>
  </strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for your support! Writing a chapter from Leon's POV was refreshing and exciting at the same time, expect more chapters like this in the future. This chapter also featured tons of subtle references to previous chapters.</p><p>Any support is appreciated!! I'm so happy to see how many people are liking this so far, I hope I can continue delivering something you'd enjoy. ;;;;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Like a fish in the water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A morning that started like any other suddenly went wrong when Nessa received some troubling news. Even if Leon wasn't so close to her, he immediately jumped to help her in any way he could, dragging Raihan and Piers with him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been a while since I updated this!! I didn't forget, I was too busy last month but finally I'm free. Next week I'll be posting some Christmas one-shots so look forward to them!! Any type of support is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Again, English is not my first language so I apologize in advance if there are some mistakes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Miss Nessa, someone needs to talk to you outside.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Outside of the classroom, the voice of the teacher echoed. Nessa, as per usual, was sitting alongside her best friend, Sonia. Furrowing her brow, she stood up and approached the teacher. From the inside, their conversation couldn’t be heard, but judging by Nessa’s furrow, arms crossed and visible tension on her shoulders, something bad had happened. Or at least bad enough to make her act like that. Apart from Nessa and the teacher, there was a third person, but they could not be seen from the inside of the room, so no matter how hard her friends tried to peek, they weren’t able to see anything. When she came back to the classroom, she just sat down again, quietly. Everytime someone asked her what’s wrong, she shook her head and said it was nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the final bells of the morning rang, it was finally recess. This day, however, Nessa didn’t go out with her friends. Even if she said that nothing had happened, she still got up her chair pretty quickly, grabbed her bag and left. No one saw where she left, and Galar High was pretty big to guess where she could be. Milo, Piers and Raihan met at the usual spot, this time accompanied by Sonia, and discussed what could be troubling Nessa. Still, no matter how many theories they had, they had no evidence to back any of that up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>. . .</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In one of the hallways, the slim, elegant figure of the most popular model was leaning against a random locker. With one hand on her hip and the other holding up her phone in front of her, her furrowed brow could not be eliminated. She was scrolling, texting someone and sending several voice notes, in which she spoke so softly that the contents of her conversation could not be easily heard. Walking towards her, someone familiar to the model could not help it but notice her sudden and unusual solitude.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nessa?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the model heard her name, she turned towards the voice, just to see Leon standing in front of her. He had his bag carried in his hand, as if he had taken it off recently, and his head was slightly tilted to the side. He pointed at her, which made Nessa look from side to side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need something, Leon?” Nessa asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no, it’s just…” He pointed again in her direction. “You’re on my locker.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he said that, Nessa suddenly jumped forward, looking at the locker behind her. She saw the crowns, baseball bats and other stickers that were in the steel cover of it. Out of all people, she would have never guessed that she chose his locker to lean on. Even so, her surprised demeanor was soon replaced by a more calm posture, as she was used to be. Nessa was always so elegant, even in those situations, and Leon admired her so much for that. Upon arriving at Galar High, he noticed that everyone had their own thing that made them special—Sonia was ridiculously smart, Nessa was so elegant and powerful, Milo was kind, Piers was talented and Raihan was… something more that he couldn’t describe. He was proud to see them and being able to call them ‘friends’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon approached the locker and opened it, leaving his bag inside and closing it afterwards. He noticed how Nessa went back to her phone, scrolling through texts and dates, and couldn’t hold back his worry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything okay, Nessa?” he asked. “You seem troubled.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nessa hid her phone as she looked at Leon. Even if she was trying to hide it, her nervousness was being exposed with those little things, like the way she jumped every time Leon talked to her. She cleared her throat before her cool and collected attitude came back. She didn’t know why, but Leon made her feel confident enough to tell him about her worries—it’s not like she didn’t trust her friends; maybe she just wanted to let it all out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was supposed to have a photoshoot today,” she explained. “But it turns out that my fellow models won’t be able to make it. They had to travel from the other side of the country, but their flight was delayed and my manager decided to cancel the shoot entirely if we don’t find replacements ASAP.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she said the last words, she snapped her fingers to show the frustration that she had been holding in, followed shortly after by a long sigh. Leon just stared at her, raising his eyebrows, without knowing what to say to her. He didn’t know anything about modeling, anyways. When Nessa raised her head again, her eyes fixed on the man in front of her, and examined him thoroughly for a few seconds, with a hand on her chin. Leon couldn’t hold back a little chuckle, somewhat uncomfortable for her sudden, intense look. After some time, she opened her eyes widely, and a proud smile decorated her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leon!” she exclaimed. “Wanna be my model for today? I see that you have the body for it, and my manager can take care of the rest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon’s hand went to the back of his neck in order to scratch it a little bit, feeling the burning blush on his cheeks. The pressure of having to answer something in that moment was too heavy for him, but at the same time, he already knew the answer. Even if he didn’t know anything about modeling, he couldn’t ignore Nessa frustration. He was aware of how seriously Nessa took her job as a model, so he didn’t want her opportunity to be ruined just like that, not if he had the chance to help her. With all the embarrassment in his face, he ended up nodding slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I’ll help you,” he replied. Seeing the smile of relief in Nessa’s face made him think that, maybe, that wasn’t a bad idea after all. “How many models do you need?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need two more people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So how about Raihan and Piers?” Leon proposed. After seeing that Nessa was relaxing, he was feeling more calm too. “I bet they’re willing to help you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a good idea, Leon,” Nessa said. Leon noticed how hard she was trying to hide her excitement, but the small curvatures on the corners of her lips would not go away. “I’ll talk to my manager and then she’ll send you all the info, okay? Thank you! I owe you one!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>. . . </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just as Leon said, both Raihan and Piers accepted the offer on their own way. While Raihan bragged about how someone as good-looking as him would make a perfect model for her photoshoot, Piers agreed indirectly, asking her to not rob him too much time in the day, as he had to do more things later. Even if they weren’t invited to participate, Sonia and Milo asked to come see them, and Nessa couldn’t reject a wish from two of her dearest friends in the whole world. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t a surprise when Sonia and Leon arrived together at the big studio in the main street of the city, since she didn’t want Leon to get lost in a day as important as that one, a one-in-a-million chance. When they entered, they got immediately distracted by the fancy scenery that they met: the roof was so far away, that even the second floor had a small balcony on the front, that bifurcated into a pair of stairs, one in each side of the balcony. Talking about the stairs, they were decorated with a red, velvet carpet that joined on the first floor and continued to the front door. On the roof, four white lamps were hanging, illuminating the place. Even the snow-like walls seemed like they shone. From one of the hallways, someone came out, possibly after hearing the front door opening. When the two of them looked to see to whom those footsteps belonged to, they saw Raihan, who was dressed in leather pants, a white shirt and an open, black jacket. Leon couldn’t help it but gasp in silence upon seeing how good that outfit looked in him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re finally here,” Raihan said. “Leon, your outfit is in the dressing room across the hallway. They’re shooting the first pics in which only Nessa appears, so we have some time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pointed at the aforementioned hallway and put his hands back on the frontal pockets of his pants. To everyone’s surprise, Raihan didn’t have that bored expression that he usually had; maybe it was due to the fact that he was overly excited to appear in a real magazine, that the smile on his face was nowhere close to disappearing. He lowered his sight even more to look at Sonia; they weren’t very close, the only thing they had in common was their friendship with Nessa, and now Leon, so it’s not like they could talk a lot. He turned to see the indoor balcony at the top of the stairs and pointed at it with his chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Milo’s already up there, and Nessa’s probably going to be happy to see you,” he said to her. “I’ll stay with Leon, don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sonia nodded before going upstairs. When they were alone, Leon looked away from him. Raihan looked so handsome in that outfit, and he didn’t want to get too embarrassed from looking at him—maybe he had what it takes to be a model. A really, really hot one. Raihan put his hand on Leon’s shoulder, making him stare at him for a few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s get to it, shall we?” Raihan asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon agreed and they both headed to the dressing room across the hallway. As they were walking, Raihan told him that place used to belong to a wealthy businessman, who donated one of his mansions to Nessa’s studio manager, so they used that place for photoshoots and even to film some commercials. It was an enormous place, with many rooms and places of interests, but many of the rooms were repurposed to be offices. The entire second floor was remodeled to be the place for the photos themselves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of the hallway there were two rooms in front of each other. The one in the right said </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dressing Room, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and the one in the left said </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nessa’s Dressing Room. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leon raised his eyebrows upon reading that, but that wasn’t a surprise. Nessa was an incredibly popular model, so it was expected for her to have her own dressing room, and he could already imagine what was in there—tons of outfits and many tables to put makeup on or stylish her hair. Raihan opened the door to their plain dressing room, the first thing that caught the eye was Piers in front of the tall mirror. He was putting on a black choker that had a white ring hanging from it on his neck. From the looks of it, the photoshoot was probably to advertise a set of punk outfits that were coming out soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon inspecting both Raihan and Piers, Leon couldn’t help it but feel left out from that. They both looked so good on their outfits—Raihan was naturally good-looking, and that aesthetic fit Piers like a wedding ring—, but what about him? He had never worn that kind of clothing before, so he feared he might be the elephant in the room once they were all set and done. He wasn’t so sure what did Nessa see in him to consider asking him in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you came,” Piers' voice made Leon snap out of his thoughts. He was seeing the two of them from the reflection in the mirror. “Your clothes are on the closet, you better hurry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan approached Piers to see himself in the mirror, smiling slyly and even showing his fangs. There was no doubt that Raihan had an amazing self-esteem and would probably date himself if he could. Piers sighed, pushing Raihan from his side and finishing with the last details on his outfit. He was tempted to kick Raihan with his spiky shoes, but probably held back just for the sake of Nessa’s photoshoot. After some seconds, he stepped back and headed to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be waiting there,” he said. “Don’t be late. Oh, and cover the mirror if you can, Leon, or Raihan won’t stop looking at himself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon giving him that warning, he left and closed the door behind him. Leon was already heading to the closet, just to see an almost entirely black outfit. The leather jacket was the same that Raihan and Piers were wearing, and the only difference between his pants and Raihan’s were that his had a golden diamond-like pattern on the sides. A black belt with a gold buckle also standed out. The shirt was totally black, only decorated by a pair of golden collars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, is this the one…?” Leon asked, turning to see Raihan who had walked up to the closet too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the only outfit in there, Leon,” he clarified the obvious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon ended up grabbing the outfit and headed to the corner of the room to change. Raihan didn’t look at him to give him his privacy, so he just killed time on his phone. Putting on the outfit was not a big deal, the hardest part was putting on the leather pants, but aside from that, everything fit perfectly. Nessa’s manager was something else, managing to find outfits for the three of them in just a couple of hours. After finishing with the outfit, the only thing left were the collars, so he called Raihan over to help him with that. When Raihan stood behind him, so close, Leon couldn’t help it but look at his shoes, completely embarrassed. He didn’t know why Raihan caused him to react like that—could it be the outfit?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan helped him put the collars, and when he was close to finishing with that, he put one hand on Leon’s shoulder. Leon had never noticed it before, but Raihan's hand was very big and warm. Being held by his hand could feel nice, maybe… After putting on the collars, he stepped back to the mirror to see himself. He could notice a slight blush on his face that he desperately tried to hide when Raihan got close again to look at himself one more time. Raihan, once again, looked at his fangs when grinning, and Leon only gulped. To escape that nightmare of shyness that he was slowly drowning into, he suggested that they went to the second floor to join Piers, and Raihan accepted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the way, Leon wondered how Piers liked so much to wear that kind of outfit. He was almost gasping for air while wearing those tight pants, so maybe that wasn’t his style. Still, Raihan commented that he looked nice, but he wasn’t so sure if he was being polite or if he really thought that. After arriving at the second floor, the camera flash startled them both. From the umbrella lights to sandboxes, that place was incredibly professional. On the opposite side of the room, Nessa was posing in front of the camera. Her outfit was completely white, in contrast to their black clothes, and she looked amazing on it. It’s like she was born for the camera, because all the previews that the screen showed everytime the camera snapped a picture were perfect for their untrained eyes. Maybe a professional could see which one was better, but for them, they all were amazing. None of them had the chance to see Nessa in her work hours, and now that they could, it was obvious that she was like a fish in the water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all sat together to wait for Nessa’s solo photos to be taken. When she called the guys over, she couldn’t help it but laugh softly upon seeing them dressed like that. The lead photographer brought a white capitone bench for Nessa to sit during those photos, and Raihan was standing behind her, leaning over. Piers was sitting on the floor, with one leg up and the other one stretched out, on one side of the bench and Leon was sitting similarly to him on the other side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first photos ended up being a little stiff, especially for Leon, who was not used to the cameras; but as time passed, they managed to relax a little, letting the photographer capture some more natural photos. Sonia and Milo were cheering them on from the back, and after some time, the photographer put down the camera and let out a sigh of relief. Leon approached Sonia, who was smiling cheerfully and clapping a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The photos turned out great!” she exclaimed. “And Nessa looks pretty happy. I was talking to her manager, and she said that this was the first time she saw Nessa like this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before he could say something, Nessa touched his shoulder with a finger. When he turned to her, she had a hand on her hip and her head slightly tilted to the side. Raihan and Piers were standing beside her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you all,” she said, looking at everyone. “Without you, we’d be doomed. You have my sincere gratitude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her manager approached her, thanking them all too and handing Nessa a pair of letters that he gave Piers and Milo, respectively. Leon and Raihan recognized the envelope instantly, as they had received the very same letter before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My fashion show is next week,” Nessa explained, pointing at the letters. “It would make me very happy if you could drop by. I think everyone has received an invitation by now, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing Nessa so elegantly cheerful was something to admire. Even if she was excited to have spent an entire afternoon with them, she managed to keep her professionalism. Everyone else was happy to see her like this, since it looked like the thing that was troubling her so bad in the morning was nothing more than a forgotten memory. The manager told them that they could keep the outfits if they wanted, that it was a gift from them for helping them in their time of need, and that they could leave whenever they wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers and Milo were the first ones who left, since the two of them had their own things to do—Piers had to take care of his little sister and Milo had work to do at home. Nessa was staying a little longer to do some more things in the studio. As Raihan was leaving, Leon caught up to him from behind, before he could open the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Raihan, wait!” he exclaimed. “I wanted to ask you something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan turned to see him, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was slowly forgetting about the fact that Leon was his soulmate, or maybe he had gotten so much better at ignoring that fact. After knowing Leon a little better, he realized that he wasn’t as bad, or as dumb as he thought he was. The only problem was that Raihan was not very good at expressing his friendliness to others that he didn’t know so much, so his bored expression could be seen as mean to others. But Leon knew that, under that tough exterior, a kind and gentle soul rested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to go to the fashion show with me?” he asked, playing with his own fingers, nervous. “We can hang out at the mall and… stuff like that…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan remained quiet for some seconds. The first thing Leon noticed after a while, was that Raihan smiled a little bit. Unlike his previous, sly smile in front of the mirror in the dressing room, he was now being much nicer. He wasn’t going to say it, but Leon preferred that gentle smile on his face rather than his other, more tempting one—but he knew that when he smiled like that, showing his fangs, he was kind of hot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” Raihan replied. “Want me to come to your house before heading out to the mall?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You bet!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The fool</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nessa's fashion show is finally around the corner. Before her presentation starts, Leon and Raihan decide to hang out in the mall. That day, many secrets are told and some hearts begin to melt.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fashion shows had always been something too flamboyant for someone like Raihan. All the fancy scenery, the neon lights, shining dresses and overly artistic props were things that he wasn’t used to, so getting carried away was not one of his problems. Even if the venue would be held in a clothing shop of the local mall, the staff still managed to decorate it as much as possible, to the point of making it seem like it was a real stage. He would make the effort of going to the highly advertised fashion show, in which the famous model Nessa would appear, just because he wanted to support his best friend as much as possible.</p><p>And also, he had promised a certain someone that he would accompany him to the show.</p><p>“Han!”</p><p>A voice echoed between the hallways of the shopping mall. Raihan was waiting in the fountain on the center of the first floor when he heard Leon’s voice approaching him, so he stared at the man and quickly got up from his seat. He was wearing a white shirt and an open, black jacket with orange borders; long, black pants covered his legs and finally, a pair of sporty, white and orange sneakers on his feet—he had always had that casual look to him that, somehow, looked amazing every time. Leon, on the other hand, was wearing a deep blue shirt with long sleeves and jeans, alongside a hat on his head and a waist bag across his chest. For Raihan, his style wasn’t all that bad, he actually liked how he could rock even an outfit like that.</p><p>“Someone’s early,” Raihan said as a greeting, smirking and putting his phone back on his pocket. Leon could only laugh, but before he could say anything, Raihan spoke again. “The show hasn’t started, so I guess we have some time on our hands. You said you wanted to hang out, right? Now’s the perfect chance for it.”</p><p>Leon laughed upon receiving that invitation from him, as he wasn’t expecting Raihan to actually remember that he asked him to hang out, so he gladly accepted it. “Sure, I’d love to,” he said. Raihan couldn’t help but notice a faint blush on Leon’s cheeks, and he stared at it for some seconds, trying to burn that image onto his mind.</p><p>Without wasting any more time, Leon took the lead and started to walk towards the width hallways of the shopping mall, and Raihan followed him from behind, and every step with those long legs of his managed to help him get closer to him, walking by his side. There were many types of stores that didn’t interest any of them, but at the end of the hallway, a real-life sized paperboard figure of a famous superhero stood out, making Raihan stare at it for quite some time. By the time they were walking by it, he noticed that Leon had also been looking at the superhero, and he couldn’t help it but frown slightly—It couldn’t be, right? Or was it really possible that they both shared a common love for comic books? There was only one way of answering the doubts on his mind.</p><p>“Leon,” Raihan said, breaking the overwhelming silence. “Wanna go in there?” He pointed at the store with a slight movement of his chin. “There are some good comics in there… Or so I’ve heard.”</p><p>Raihan looked away for a few seconds. For some reason that he didn’t understand, he didn’t want to admit that he enjoyed comics and that sort of stuff, but after seeing Leon nodding with excitement and approaching the entrance, his expression softened a bit, letting himself smile as he approached him. Leon entered the store and walked towards the shelves that featured his favorite series: a comic about a Hero-King. Raihan was behind him and, due to his height, was able to reach the top of the shelf to grab a volume of that comic, to start leafing through the pages and being amazed by the clean pictures. Leon quickly looked up, standing on tiptoes to look at the tome he was holding.</p><p>“That’s the limited edition of the first volume!” he exclaimed, taking the comic book on his hands to sweep through the pages. “This came out on the tenth anniversary of the series, and it contains the entire first volume with updated drawings and notes from the author!” The excitement of his voice was contagious to Raihan, who couldn’t help it but smile tenderly at him as he nodded, keeping in his mind all the information he was providing him. “I’ll buy it, thank you for showing me this!”</p><p>Shortly after, Leon was already at the counter ready to pay for the expensive comic. Raihan, who had stayed at the shelf, took the first three volumes of that comic so he could read them at home, and approached Leon in order to pay. He didn’t say anything about the comics, but when Leon noticed what he was purchasing, the smile on his face widened.</p><p>“Are you going to read it too?!” Leon raised his fists to his chest as he looked at Raihan handing the money over to the worker. “We can talk about it after you’ve read them, if you want!”</p><p>Raihan nodded, agreeing to discuss the plot and characters with him at a later time. When the worker handed their products to the both of them, they walked out of the store together as they searched for something else to do. Raihan took out his phone to see the hour. <em> 2:43 p.m. </em>The show was meant to start at 5:00 p.m, so they had plenty of time on their hands to explore around and talk about anything and everything. Just as he was putting his phone back on his pocket, Leon walked towards the establishment in front of the comics shop; Raihan extended his arms towards him, but he was already walking and he didn’t have the chance to stop him, so he could only follow him from behind.</p><p>The place wasn’t something that he would call a store—it was more like an office of some sort, what business did he have there? Leon entered first, closing the door behind him and, when Raihan entered, he was surprised to find the figure of a certain redhead that was so close to Leon, with some papers on her hands.</p><p>“Sonia?” Raihan asked, and the girl turned around to see him, smiling and putting the papers away. She seemed oddly excited, and Leon was smiling too with the same tenderness that he always had. “What is this place?”</p><p>“Oh, that…” Sonia opened her arms to show the entirety of the place: a small office that certainly looked bigger from the outside. “Welcome to the National Institute of Scientific Research!” she exclaimed, giggling shortly after and taking the papers to show him. “Recently, our school proposed that I participate in their annual science fair and I sent my application. The winner can get a scholarship for a scientific career once they graduate!”</p><p>“So, what did they say?” Leon intervened, standing next to Sonia and trying to have a peep at her papers. “Did you get in?”</p><p>“That’s what I came here to see… And the truth is that I…” Sonia’s sudden silence created certain tension on the atmosphere, as she looked at the two guys quickly. Without a warning, she showed them the last page on her hand. “... Of course I got in, Leon!”</p><p>Sonia giggled again and the tension disappeared in the blink of an eye, as the two men sighed in relief and smiled at her, congratulating her for her achievement and wishing her the best luck ever. The National Science Fair seemed like an important event, and she was obviously looking forward to it.</p><p>“Oh, do you want to see me that day? It’s still a few months away, so you can organize your schedules,” she proposed as she put the papers on her bag. “I’ll do a big show, I promise.”</p><p>“Of course!” Raihan and Leon said in unison, looking at each other after saying it. Sonia just shrugged at the situation, as she wasn’t going to ask anything else.</p><p>“Then I’ll send you the details later, and I’ll invite the others, too!” she exclaimed. Now that the situation was controlled, she took the liberty of changing the topic completely. “So, are you here to see Nessa? The show is starting in a few hours, what are you doing here early?”</p><p>Sonia raised an eyebrow after asking that, and Leon was the one who replied to the question. “We wanted to hang out alone before the show!” he said, but he didn’t get an answer from his friend. “You know, exploring the stores, talking, and those things…”</p><p>“That almost sounds like a…” Sonia murmured, but she didn’t end the phrase on her mind. <em> That sounded like a date, </em>is what she was thinking. After shaking her head, she just smiled at them. “Great! So, I’ll go see Nessa, so you can hang out more, what do you think? I’ll see you later!”</p><p>Before they could say anything, Sonia went out of the building after saying goodbye. She had her doubts about their relationship, but she wasn’t going to ask at that moment—she would wait until she could be alone with Leon to attack him with questions, and that’s something she would only do because they were best friends. When the office was completely empty, with just the two of them left, Raihan proposed that they went grab a bite before the show, as the food in that mall wasn’t all that bad.</p><p>Raihan guided Leon to the food court, and he was able to determine that Leon had a bad sense of direction, since he kept insisting that they went to the second floor, when the food court was on the fourth floor. Luckily, he was there to take him on the right path, and his sense of orientation was a cute quirk to him that Raihan couldn’t deny.</p><p>They arrived at a fast food restaurant, and Raihan took a seat at a table for two. That was the same place that he went when Nessa took him to the mall at the start of the year. “So, Leon,” he said. “How come you’re friends with Miss Clever Clogs?”</p><p>“Who?” Leon replied, raising an eyebrow. The queue for ordering the food was long enough for them to decide on waiting some minutes in their seats. “Oh, you mean Sonia!” A soft laugh escaped from his pale, pink lips. “We’ve been friends since we were little. By now, I could say we’re like siblings—we always tell each other everything and I trust her fully, but we’ve never felt… attraction for each other, you know? We’re just really close friends.”</p><p>As he explained, Raihan nodded. He could see their relationship similar to the one he had with Nessa, but their bond was even stronger than steel—as for Nessa and him, they grew close thanks to their popularity in school, and just happened to get along well, but he wouldn’t consider Nessa like a sister. And, if he did, she would be the annoying little sister who was always complaining about stuff, but was nice somehow. He had many friends in school, but he didn’t know if there was someone that he could trust with any secret; the closest people to him were his friend group, but still, he sometimes felt as if they only cared about the popular, chill guy that he usually was. Or at least that’s what he thought, until that year that Nessa surprised him with her genuine worry about the whole soulmate thing.</p><p>Some minutes after, the queue finally shortened to the point of giving them the motivation to stand up to order some food. Raihan asked for a hotdog and Leon went for the chicken nuggets and fries. When they received their food, they went back to their table and started eating there. Raihan could see the whole floor from the window by their side, as he stretched his legs across the table in order to fit. Reminiscence of his conversation with Nessa was impossible to avoid. <em> And what if you fall in love with them?, </em> Nessa said that day. <em> Not gonna happen. I’m sure of it, </em>he replied. But there he was, eating with Leon on the same table, laughing at his stories, asking about his life because he was seriously invested in his tales, and noticing the little details about his personality—like the dimples on his cheeks whenever he smiled out of pure happiness, or the way his eyes shone like pure gold. He was trying his best to not fall for anything he said or did, and was putting his self control to the test on an occasion like that.</p><p>Just friends. Raihan never thought he would admit it, but something like that seemed a little harder than usual when they were alone.</p><p>They both gulped down their meals in the blink of an eye. Without paying too much attention, suddenly their plates were empty and they were licking away any trace of food or fat from their fingers, as they drank their drinks.</p><p>“We should be leaving now, the show will start soon.” As Leon said that, he showed Raihan his phone. <em> 4:35 p.m. </em>“I bet Sonia already saved us seats.”</p><p>Raihan agreed and, after cleaning their tables—leaving them dirty would be disrespectful— they went out of the place, sprinting to the bottom floor until they were in front of the clothing shop that was going to be used as a venue for the fashion show. Some people were at the entrance, showing their tickets to the guard that was inspecting who was entering the show. Raihan and Leon stood behind them, and when it was finally their turn, they showed their tickets with sky blue colors on the top and pale yellow colors on the bottom, as if it were a beach, decorated with beautiful, shiny seashells. The guard approved with a nod and pointed at the front row, telling them that their seats would be numbered.</p><p>After entering, the first they noticed was the cold breeze coming from the air conditioner, and it made sense for it to be that cold, since the models would have to model under bright, hot lights for long periods of time. Surely Raihan admired that of them, and Nessa always managed to give professional poses and an intense look to the cameras, making it seem that she was actually born for the job.</p><p>In the distance they could see Sonia’s figure seated on the front row, with two empty seats by her side. As she heard them arriving, she turned around to see them and greet with a smile, pointing at the empty seats that were meant for them. “You’re finally here!” She exclaimed after they took a seat. “Nessa’s looking like a real mermaid tonight. I know it because she let me into the dressing room.” Sonia put a hand on her puffed chest, completely proud of her achievement. Still, she wasn’t the type of person who would brag about anything in particular—unless it came to science, of course—, so she quickly laughed softly. “Piers and Milo will be here soon, they’re already at the entrance of the mall.”</p><p>The conversations diverted into many different topics, like how they were doing in school, since it was already the second quarter of the school year. Raihan had never been the type of guy who excelled in his grades, but only seeked for the grades necessary to pass his classes. Leon, on the other hand, usually studied with Sonia in their free time, but he would get constantly distracted with anything—Sonia was the most patient soul on Earth. Their trivial chit-chat was interrupted by the presence of Piers and Milo who had finally arrived and were seated nearby them. Milo was excited for Nessa’s presentation, and even brought her a bouquet of flowers to gift her after everything was done, while Piers had that usual, stoic look on his face—they were all used to his attitude but Leon, who was curious to know more about him, apart from the fact that he was a popular musician of the area.</p><p>When no one expected it, the lights that illuminated the stage suddenly went out for a few seconds, making them all stay at the edge of their seats. Without a warning, a searchlight turned on in the direction of the stage, showing a man standing with his arms open and a confident smile on his face. Sonia approached Raihan, who was standing beside her, and whispered into his ear. “That man over there is the owner of Nessa’s modelling company; in other words: he bosses Nessa’s manager around. She doesn’t like him very much because he once told her to choose between graduating high school or continuing modelling. Of course, Nessa was having none of that crap and continued doing both things.”</p><p>As she was telling him that anecdote, Raihan nodded slowly as he analyzed the host that was receiving praise and applause without end. He seemed to drown in his ego, and when it was enough, the tall, blonde woman behind him whispered something into his ear—by his surprised reaction, Raihan could guess that she told him to remember the show that he was supposed to be hosting. That was his secretary, maybe? Her half-closed eyes looked as if she didn’t want to be there in the first place.</p><p>“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the fashion show for the upcoming summer outfits for next year!” He exclaimed after the rain of applause ceased, talking with such naturality in front of everyone. “Without further ado, let’s begin!”</p><p>No seconds were put to waste in that fashion show, and that man in the stage looked as if he were a natural in front of the public. Still, and thanks to Sonia’s warning, Raihan was not going to let himself get swayed by his charm. He turned to see Leon and leaned over to him, crossing his arms in front of his chest and putting one leg over the other. “I’ve heard that Nessa ain’t fond of that guy,” he murmured to him. “Nessa is an usually chill woman, so if she doesn’t like someone… I don’t trust him.”</p><p>Leon, who had been looking at the stage, completely spellbound by the lights and the music, finally turned to see him. He was having fun, but when Raihan brought that up, he raised an eyebrow and, with a smile on his face, he shrugged a little bit.</p><p>“I can imagine how she feels,” he replied, like it was something obvious. “Mr. Rose owns a large number of companies, including the one my father worked at. He was a close friend of my family, but when my dad passed away, he just… turned his back on us.” As he explained, his furrowed brow deepened, gulping some saliva that made him realize he had a knot on his throat. Raihan quickly caught up on his expression, but Leon looked at the stage again; and this time, he was not having too much fun. “I admire Nessa for still wanting to work for him, but she deserves better than this.”</p><p>The seriousness of his voice was a first for Raihan, who just blinked as he heard his story. He didn’t want to admit it, but hearing about Nessa’s experience and now Leon’s, made him think that the host was somewhat involved in the passing of Leon’s father. A burning fire crawled through his body, completely mad over the thought and the impotence of not being able to do anything; that was a perfect example of how the rich were able to do whatever they wanted without any consequences, stepping on those under them. He didn’t know that man—Mr. Rose, according to Leon—, but he hated him with a burning passion.</p><p>Just when he was finally to give in his fury, he heard the man on the stage presenting one of their most famous models—The Raging Wave, Nessa. As her friend walked to the stage, the first thing that stood out was the beautiful, white that she was wearing, that smoothly transitioned into a sky blue color in the bottom, long enough to create a train that was being dragged behind her. The stage formed a ‘T’ pose, and the public was seated on the sides of the stage, so when Nessa arrived at the front part, the cameras started flashing pictures of her attire. Even if she was so close to the people, her expression had the seriousness of a professional model, always looking forward and just giving a quick look at her friends. She was a completely different person on the stage; right now, she wasn’t just Nessa, she was an actual mermaid in her natural habitat, in front of the cameras and exposing the highest form of fashion to the world. After some seconds, she turned around and walked back, putting one foot in front of the other, not tripping, even if she wore such high heels.</p><p>Later, the rest of the models came to the stage, but none of them were as beautiful as The Raging Wave. It was obvious that Nessa was skilled in her job, she had been doing that since she was a child, so there was no doubt that she would stand out. The rain of applause was as heavy as a storm of praise, and in that moment, Nessa allowed herself to look at her friends and smile at them with such confidence that was typical of her, like a fish in the water. Shortly enough, the curtains lowered down, hiding behind them the host, his secretary and all the models, marking the end of the show. The lights turned on as the rest of the public stood up, including famous fashion designers and famous people alike—Had those people been there the whole time? Raihan, Leon and the rest felt like nobodies right now, surrounded by such important names and faces. Luckily for them, and before they got disoriented in the sea of people, a voice behind them, so relaxed like the calm waves, echoed.</p><p>“Thank you for coming,” she said. Sonia turned around to hug the person in question, letting herself drown on her blue and black hair. “Oh, Sonia!”</p><p>“You were STUNNING, Nessa!” Sonia exclaimed as she stepped back, putting her fists at the height of her chest. “I don’t know how you do it, but you always manage to hypnotize everyone.”</p><p>Nessa was still wearing the dress, but she sneaked from her manager’s sight in order to see her friends and chat a little bit with them. Her wide grin showed nothing but excitement, that was easily shared by her companions. Milo didn’t waste any second and handed her the flower bouquet he had previously bought for her; his face was completely blused, a detail that Nessa caught on quickly and caused her own cheeks to fluster as well.</p><p>“I hope you like them, Nessa,” he murmured, lowering his sight but peeking over to her. “They’re your favorite kind.”</p><p>Raihan gave Milo a nudge, smirking at him for finally being able to make the first step in order to win over Nessa, which only made the latter laugh a little. Of course, she was already aware that her friends knew about her thing with Milo, so there was no point in pretending.</p><p>To break the ice, Sonia raised her voice.</p><p>“What are you doing now, Nessa?”</p><p>“The question should be what are YOU doing now?” She replied with another inquiry. “As for me, I actually have to go back with my manager and that.”</p><p>“So, this is goodbye, isn’t it?” Sonia asked with disappointed eyes. “Oh, well, I’ll text you later! We better get going, I don’t want your manager to get mad at you because of us.”</p><p>Sonia, Milo and Piers agreed on leaving at that moment, so they left. Leon followed them from behind but, after seeing that Raihan was still with Nessa, he approached him, with a wide smile on his face.</p><p>“Thank you for today!” He said, cheeks red. “Let’s hang out more, what do you think?”</p><p>“I’m in!” Raihan exclaimed, smiling back at him. “Just tell me when you’re free and we can go somewhere together.”</p><p>“I will! Oh, and don’t forget to tell me your thoughts about the comic!”</p><p>After saying goodbye, Leon left and walked behind Sonia and the others. Raihan was waving a hand at him, grinning excited, while Nessa just crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. When they were finally alone, she attacked with words.</p><p>"So, is it Leon?" she asked. "The guy that said the words that appeared in your body."</p><p>"You figured it out pretty quickly..."</p><p>"I just put some thought to it, because you seamed very eager to ignore him in every situation, even if you didn't know him before this year."</p><p>Of course, Nessa was quick to catch up to things so Raihan's secret soulmate was not a secret anymore, at least for her. Before he could say something, she raised her voice again.</p><p>“I think someone’s not doing a good job at ‘fooling destiny’,” she said sarcastically.</p><p>Raihan, who had been smiling like an idiot, looked away when she said that and scratched his neck. He remembered that conversation he had with Nessa in which he specifically said that he wasn’t going to catch feelings for him, and now felt like an idiot for being so weak for him in front of her.</p><p>“I AM!” He answered, coughing afterwards. “I haven’t fallen in love, trust me. We’re just friends, can you hear? FRIENDS.”</p><p>Nessa let out a dry laugh as she rolled her eyes. She wasn’t born yesterday, and knew better than anyone that Raihan didn’t like to admit the obvious.</p><p>“I really think destiny made a fool of you for being so stubborn…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First update of the year! I am so excited to continue writing this. And, finally, their relationship develops little by little. I hope you enjoy 'Hey, Soulmate!' as much as I do. As always, remember that English is not my first language so there might be some mistakes.</p><p>This time, more details about Leon's past are finally revealed, so expect more of it later.</p><p>Any support is greatly appreciated! Have an amazing year. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. After-school encounters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Piers finds Leon one afternoon when the two of them were finishing their after-school activities. Leon, who wants to become closer to the cold musician of Galar High, offers to accompany him on his way home.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The softer rays of lights that painted the sky of a gentle, orangey color marked the end of another day in Galar High, and the first cold breezes of the night started to chill through the bodies of the students who were waving goodbye at the gates of the school. Even if the last class concluded hours ago, many teenagers stayed after-school to practice different sports, scientific activities or, in some cases, to reunite for the student council debates, so when it was afternoon, many people were still gathered in the school grounds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A classroom at the end of the hallway opened slowly, revealing the tired figure of the well-known musician of the school. Piers always stayed to practice his tunes and compose new melodies; after all, talent comes from hard work. On his back, he was carrying his electric guitar and, in one hand, his amplifier; his curved back, alongside his dark, deep eye bags were the proof of his will to practice even after a hard day of school. For some people, it was concerning, but for others, that was just the normal Piers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he got out of the room, he put the amplifier on the floor and rolled his shoulder to relieve the pain that meant carrying that thing all the way from home to school, and all the way back. A soft grunt escaped his lips, accompanied later by a sigh of relief upon feeling his muscles loosening due to the attempt of a massage he was giving himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Piers?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A low voice caught his attention, making his turn around in the direction of the sound, with one eye opened and a furrow so deep it could scare anyone away. Or, at least, it would make a stranger flee, but the man in front of him didn’t move and inch and only smiled at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leon?” Piers asked, putting his guitar case beside the amplifier, to roll his other shoulder in harmony with the other one. “What are you doin’ here? ‘s pretty late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if they just said a couple of things, that was the longest conversation they had had in a long time. Not only were they in different classes, but Piers wasn’t the easiest person to talk to, so making him say anything was a complete challenge. Luckily for Leon—and unluckily for Piers— he wasn’t the type of person who would back down from a challenge. With a swift move of the shoulder, Leon revealed the sports bag he was carrying on his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was accepted into the Baseball team,” Leon answered, smiling proudly of himself. “Today was my first time playing with those guys. They’re pretty good, if I say so myself, but I won’t let their skills scare me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon’s positivity and cheerfulness couldn’t seem to take over Piers, who just stared at him for a few seconds until he approached his things again, carrying them one at the time. He first put the guitar case on his back and when it came to the amplifier, he grunted to himself upon the thought of having to carry it all the way back. Leon quickly saw his reaction and, before Piers could get his hand on the object, he grabbed the amplifier with one arm with apparent ease.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Need some help?” Leon asked. “I can take this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers only stared at him, again, with those piercing eyes that could break even through the thickest wall. “If you want,” he replied. Even if he was an independent person, he wouldn’t refuse his aid. “I’m goin’ to the main street.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without waiting for an answer, Piers started walking towards the exit gates of the school, knowing that Leon was following him from behind due to the fastest-growing sound of his footsteps. He seemed scary—and Leon could confirm— but it was crystal clear that he wasn’t trying to be mean; maybe he was just incredibly tired of his work, because he was both a student and a musician full-time, so his energy was quickly drained. After getting out of the school, Leon was able to catch him up in the street, and he wouldn’t get his eyes off the musician by his side; after all, if he were to look away for a split second, he would get lost in the city—he didn’t know how he managed to always go in the wrong direction, but that’s how life was for him. Leon carried the amplifier with both hands in front of his puffed chest, holding onto it like if his life depended on it; and it did, in a way, because if something were to happen to Piers’ most valuable possession, he would probably die by his hand. Or that’s what he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you live in the main street?” Leon asked after some minutes of continued walking, breaking the ice… or sharpening it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Piers replied. “My lil’ sis’ is in her music class and it should be over by now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers' answer, despite how dry it sounded, made Leon blink not twice, but three times upon hearing him. “Do you have a sister?” he asked, but before he could say anything, Leon intervened again. “I have a younger brother! His name is Hop and he’s so cool!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Her name’s Marnie,” he replied. “She’s also really cool… Probably a lot cooler than you lil’ bro.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way that’s true!” Leon laughed and, for a small time, he was able to see a tiny smile curve in Piers’ lips. That reaction only made him happier, even chuckling afterwards. “Hop’s amazing, we always play baseball together. I taught him all he knows.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time, Piers looked at Leon with a gentle expression on his face, slightly smiling and raising both eyebrows, as if he was challenging him on whose sibling was better, but on the inside, Piers already knew the answer: the two of them were cool in their own way. He just wanted to brag about the treasure of his life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marnie can play the piano, acoustic guitar and electric bass,” Piers replied. “She even composed one of my favorites songs of my repertoire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? She did?” In awe, Leon leaned towards him. “Which one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The musician seemed adamant to answer at first, but later rolled his eyes when his lips moved again, in a soft, low voice. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>To my dearest person.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was almost as if Piers’ shyness was getting over him. His rock music was famous because of the loud noises, the intense swings in the guitar’s strings and the drummer’s enthusiastic banging, but that particular song, those particular melodies were not his, but his little sister’s, so having a piece of her talent on his legacy as a musician meant so much to him. The lyrics of the song were not driven by the music, but by the emotions hidden on his heart. From verses like “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I will always be your more loyal knight</span>
  </em>
  <span>” to “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Even when the darkness consumes my mind, your light will always guide me, sister</span>
  </em>
  <span>”, there was no doubt that his love for his sister surpassed any song he had ever written, and Leon could see that and respected that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon didn’t say anything to Piers to keep him from getting too shy, so he just looked at the street for a moment to find something else to talk about. The big, neon posters that advertised different brands—including Nessa’s photoshoot— almost overwhelmed him, until Piers grabbed him by the shirt to guide him from one divergence of the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This way,” he said. “The music academy’s this way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon walked behind him obediently, trying to not walk faster than he did so he wouldn’t get lost due to his own impatience. The road was thinner this time, and many houses were by the side, and a big park on the other side, giving it the suburban look or any neighborhood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Piers…” Leon said, looking at his own feet. Sometimes he could be so clumsy and would trip on his own shoes. “How come you’re friends with Raihan and the others? They don’t seem to be your… type.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not my type?” Those words caught his attention, making Piers turn around slightly to look at Leon, raising one eyebrow. “And what’s exactly my type?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His question seemed to escape Leon’s answers. Something that he asked innocently now seemed as difficult as those history tests they gave him at school that Raihan helped him with. He grabbed the amplifier with one hand, and with the other, he scratched the back of his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” he responded sincerely, shrugging. “You just seemed like the guy who likes to be alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, instead of saying something, Piers just stopped walking altogether, and fully turned around. Leon stopped right in front of him, and the musician raised his chin to glare at Leon’s golden eyes. One eyebrow raised and a small, challenging smile decorated Piers’ pale face. Leon raised both eyebrows, since when Piers had that… energy on him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You think I’m a boring lad, don’t you?” Piers asked. “There’s no need to hide the words from your mouth, but even so, my next song will be for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon gulped, not knowing what he was supposed to answer to something as harsh as that. He really seemed like a whole different person sometimes, as if there was fire on his words and his eyes burned him too. Piers turned around again and continued walking towards the end of the road, and Leon stood in the middle of the street for a while, until he was able to snap out of his thoughts and trotted to his side. The man who was once scary as they say, went back to having that dead-like expression on his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not a great student,” Piers said. “So, one day, a teacher paired me with Milo, and one by one I met the others.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So it was like… fate, was it?” Leon asked, tilting his head to the side. “But you don’t seem to like Raihan very much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Piers shrugged. “Raihan’s just annoying, but we all know that. Even so, he’s my friend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon laughed softly upon the accurate and short description of Raihan that was so close to the truth. Still, he felt that Raihan was kinder to him, or maybe it was his imagination that was playing tricks on him. Ah, there he was again, that damned Raihan who always managed to invade all his thoughts without even trying nor being there. And Leon couldn’t help it but smiled at the thought. Unluckily for him, Piers' voice was louder than the images on his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, don’t tell him that I said he’s my friend,” Piers clarified. “If he finds out I said that, he won’t leave me alone until he hears it with his own ears. And really, I’ve had enough of his annoying ass.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon hid his mouth behind the palm of his hand as he softly chuckled at his words. He nodded at his request and wouldn’t say anything—who would have thought that their little secret would be related to Raihan? Piers, relieved at his agreement, walked a little more until he stood in front of one of the houses. If it weren’t by the big staff symbol on the roof, Leon would think it was a normal house of the neighborhood. But, instead of entering, Piers just waited outside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, about your little bro, he plays baseball.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And he also likes helping Sonia with her experiments!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see,” Piers replied, putting his case on the floor and then grabbing his own chin, looking up to the big staff. “What if he tried goin’ to music classes? Marnie has many friends there of her age, maybe he could find some more.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he said that, the door opened suddenly, crashing loudly, and the silhouette of a girl, some years younger than them, with black hair tied into pigtails and a </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally cool </span>
  </em>
  <span>undercut went out. She was carrying a guitar case, very similar to the one Piers had, and her fists and furrowed brow gave everything but a good impression for Leon. Still, he noticed that she seemed the same age as his own brother, Hop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is something wrong, Marns?” Piers asked, approaching the girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind her back, a kid around her age whose white, puffy hair rivaled the sights of the sheep on Milo’s farm was smirking at Marnie and mocking her, taunting the girl, with eyes that screamed egocentrism and a sense of superiority towards her. Marnie turned to him, snarling under her breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bede really gets me on my nerves…” she mumbled loud enough so the two guys behind her back could listen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers frowned at the sight, and put his hand on Marnie’s shoulder. “I promise that, if you go inside and kick him real hard, I won’t tell anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I really do it?” Marnie asked, as if she really considered the option for a split second, but later shook her head. “Wait, I won’t. I don’t want my actions to ruin your reputation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She finally turned around, closing the door and sighing to let go all the tension on her shoulders. Leon tilted his head to the side and looked at Piers. “Why would it affect you if she went to kick him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you see that boy?” Piers asked. “His name’s Bede and he’s like… the son of a rich guy in the city, I guess. He would probably go cry to his dad if Marnie did something to him, and bye-bye Piers’ career.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, that’s terrible…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marnie gave Piers her guitar case that he gladly took and put on his shoulder, as per usual, and started to walk away from the academy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s that, Piers?” Marnie asked, pointing at Leon as if he wasn’t there. “Is he your new band member or something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no…” Piers replied, scratching his cheek. “He’s… a friend from school. Leon’s the name.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you, Leon,” Marnie said, looking up. At least he wasn’t as tall as Raihan, she thought. “I’m Marnie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s also a pleasure,” Leon said, opening his palm at Marnie’s height so she could high-five him. She hesitated for a second, looking away, completely ashamed, but at the end she raised her hand, slightly touching Leon’s big hand. When Leon put his hand down, she spoke. “So, are your friends from the academy like that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bede’s not my friend,” she quickly replied with a cold tone. Like brother, like sister. “He’s an annoying brat that thinks he’s special because his dad does many things. Ugh, I hate people like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon nodded in agreement, taking her words seriously. Many adults tended to minimize the kid's problem, saying that people their age didn’t have anything to be mad about, but Leon was an older brother like Piers, so he understood that kids sometimes needed someone to listen to them. Marnie appreciated that, so before he could say anything, she looked up to meet his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But he’s not the only one in there. There’s also… Gloria, who stands up to me almost every time. She’s loud, but… she’s nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gloria’s a good musician,” Piers admitted. “She’s come home with us sometimes, and she’s really talented. Still, I still think Marns’s better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marnie lowered her gaze, feeling her cheeks blushing at the compliment. Leon could easily see that Marnie was a shy girl, and he could already imagine her relationship with his little brother who was really outgoing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think your fans are annoying, brother,” Marnie said. “They’re pretty cool and everything, but when they come see me at my concerts is a little too much…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so?” Piers looked at her, opening his eyes with genuine concern. “I will talk to them personally.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he said that, they got out of that thin road, and the loud claxon’s of the cars made Leon pay attention to those neon posters once again. He looked away when he saw the photo of Nessa with Piers, Raihan and him, ashamed of knowing that the whole city was seeing him. He couldn’t understand how Piers managed to be so used to being in the public eye, but whatever it was, seemed like an unattainable superpower for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers and Marnie stood in front of Leon, and Piers started to look for something in one of his pockets.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re pretty cool, lad,” Piers said, taking out a ticket that Leon grabbed. “Here, I’m having a concert soon. Go if you want. Raihan and the others will be there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon smiled at the compliment and put the ticket on his back to not lose it. “I will be there!” he assured, and then looked at Marnie. “I want to go to one of your concerts too, and don’t worry, I won’t cause you trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Marnie nodded, Leon noticed a tiny smile in Piers’ face. He could clearly see how much Marnie meant to him, and how her happiness was his happiness too. Before they went on their way, Leon spoke to Marnie again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t let that kid bother you!” he said. “I’ll tell my brother, Hop, to enroll in that academy, so maybe you’ll be buds in the future. He will also stand up to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After saying that, Marnie smiled with a little more confidence. Leon waved them goodbye as they started walking towards one of the roads that diverged in that big, busy street of the city. When their silhouettes disappeared from his sight, Leon found out a new problem.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How do I get home?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This city is too big.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon chuckled. He was so immersed in his conversation with Piers, that he totally forgot that he didn’t know how to get to the school, yet alone home. Some seconds passed in which he stared at the different ways, until he gave up and took out his phone to send a text.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, Raihan! Piers invited me to his concert! Mind if we go together?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Also… you lived near the main street, right? Ha, ha…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Because I might use a little help right now…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading this! I know many of you liked Piers from a few chapters ago, so I decided to dedicate this chapter to him. Leon thinks Piers is really cool, and wants to know more about him, so this time he manages to not only talk to him, but meet his sister, Marnie, too!</p>
<p>Many characters make cameos in this episode: Marnie, Bede, Hop, Gloria... I wasn't sure how to include them in this AU, but I think this chapter gave me an idea for the younger generation.</p>
<p>The next chapter is BIG for the plot, so look forward to it!</p>
<p>And also, if you notice, I updated the number of chapters that this fic will have. It could be more, who knows. *eyes*</p>
<p>As a side note, I'm really grateful for all the support you've given me. Every kudo and every comment gives me confidence to keep writing, and every day I'm writing more and I'm really proud of myself! Even so, I couldn't have done it without you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. When I found you. ♫</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The day for Piers’ concert finally arrives, and his group of friends go to see him. A little accident caused Raihan and Leon to see the concert together, and spending time alone proved too dangerous for their hearts.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The night was decorated with numerous posters promoting the concert show that Piers—or the Humble Singer, as he called himself— was helding that night. An indoor spectacle that only a select number of people, and some lucky fans who managed to buy a ticket before they sold out, could attend to. Dressed for the occasion, Piers’ closest friends were already waiting in the queue to enter the venue, wearing the typical black and pink shirts that his fans—the self-proclaimed Team Yell— often wore. But, unlike those fans, they didn’t paint their faces to show their dedication to their favorite artist. Raihan and Nessa were the only ones who looked relatively normal in those black outfits, but Milo and Leon seemed a little goofy with their smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not even a chill night like that one could lower the temperature in that crowded entrance, in which everyone was trying to enter but the guards, with their black suits and sunglasses, were preventing them from trespassing the doors. Due to Raihan’s height, he could easily notice that, far from the queue, a familiar figure was about to enter through a door. A young girl he quickly recognized.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Marnie!” he exclaimed, and the girl turned to see them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, Marnie opened her eyes widely, trying to hide her face from the sudden looks that everyone was giving her. The members of Team Yell, as soon as they saw her, started to cheer her name, causing her to blush intensively. After taking a deep breath, she was able to glare at his brother’s group of friends. She knew some of them, like Raihan and Leon, because they were kind of close to his brother; but she barely knew Nessa or Milo. Still, she pointed to the door she was heading into.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doin’?” she asked the four of them. “Get outta there and come with me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marnie tilted her head at the door with a demanding look in her eyes. Even at her age, Marnie could be as fierce as her older brother, and quickly make his friends follow her commands. When they approached her, she opened the door for them, and when any member of Team Yell tried to sneak with them, Marnie stopped them. She waited for them to enter before going in herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inside there was a big hallway, completely empty, and Marnie took the lead and walked through it. Raihan didn’t wait a second to raise his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is this place?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a shortcut,” Marnie explained, turning around to see them as she walked. Her expression was too serious, but even so, there was kindness on her eyes. “My older brother asked me to take you to the VIP area to see him. For the VIP members they arranged some food before and after the show.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s nice of him,” Nessa replied, putting a hand in front of her mouth that was slowly opening due to the surprise. But that was the normal Piers, always doing good things in secret. “And who else will be in that VIP room?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just me.” Marnie turned around to one of the corridors that led to a big, red door in which the words ‘VIP’ were written in gold. “We’re here, make yourselves comfortable and I’ll tell you when it’s about to start.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marnie left the room after picking up some snacks from the big table full of chips and other things. She would’ve gladly stayed there, but she was too shy to spend time with her brother’s friends. Raihan sat down on the couch, and Nessa followed him; on the other hand, Leon and Milo approached the table to see the food that Piers’ had provided them. There was a big screen that was displaying the cameras in the front row of the stage—empty, of course. Lights were on and it gave the most anticlimactic view possible, but it was natural, the show hadn’t started yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During their sepulchral silence, Nessa tilted her chin towards Leon, snapping her fingers to make him look at her. “Is Sonia coming?” she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Leon turned to see her with some chips in his cheeks, eyes opened for being talked to while he was eating anything he could find on that table. After gulping quickly, trying not to choke, he replied. “She’s busy with her science project, I don’t think she’ll come…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Avoiding eye contact with him, Nessa sighed profoundly. It’s not like she disliked being with them, but she was craving some quality time with her best friend. Still, she understood her reasons to be busy so she wouldn’t bother her. Raihan stood up on the couch and walked towards the exit, raising his phone to the roof in search of the internet connection in that place. After telling the others that he was going to look for wifi, he exited and walked through one of the corridors. His phone couldn’t connect to the local signal, yet alone the internet, and he wasn’t happy about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he reached the end of the corridor, he ended up in the upper part of the audience seats, on the second floor. When he leaned over the glass wall that separated the second floor from the empty space, he noticed some members of the staff fixing the last details before they could let the audience in. Suddenly enough, his phone began ringing as the notifications started to reach him in that place, in which the internet connection was decent enough. He took a seat in one of the chairs that had been misplaced near, and began to reply to all his texts and check his social media.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seconds turned into minutes in which Raihan stayed in the same place, spacing out of the outside world and only thinking about the words on the screen. The thing that managed to make him snap out of it were the wounds of steps against the metal floor in his direction. He tilted his head upwards, only to find Leon walking rapidly there, and then scratching the back of his head after looking sideways. Raihan stood up and looked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is something wrong?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I got… lost…” Leon mumbled, ashamed of admitting something like that. He hid his hands behind his back, playing with his fingers trying to calm down his nervousness. “I was in the bathroom and then… all the hallways looked the same…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon approached Raihan and took a seat on the chair he was previously using, and Raihan looked down at him, feeling bad for his terrible sense of direction. Squatting down beside him, Raihan put a hand on Leon’s knee, causing him to tilt his head towards his companion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I planned to stay here a little longer, if you are willing to wait, we can go to the VIP room together,” Raihan suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And, in the blink of an eye, there was a wide smile drawn on Leon’s face, highlighting the dimples on his cheeks. Raihan gulped, he hadn’t paid too much attention to Leon’s facial expression, and seeing them up close hit hard. After slightly coughing to hide the butterflies on his stomach—stupid Raihan!—, he sat on the floor, looking at his phone with even more insistence than before, maybe to not look at Leon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During their brief silence, Leon stood up to look at the stage. The lights were being slowly turned off, and the white, artificial smoke was covering the place where Piers was supposed to sing. When the lights turned off, pink neon lights illuminated the place, drawing the symbol of Piers’ band. Leon opened his eyes widely, excited for the espectacle of colors and sounds of a faint bass being tuned in the distance. He grabbed Raihan by the hand to show him the stage, jumping in place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is my first concert,” Leon admitted, and his cheeks blushed. “I’m so happy I got to see it with all of you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Raihan looked at Leon, he could feel his heart suddenly racing after noticing his blush and cheerful smile. They had been classmates for many months now and, after sharing every day together, walking home together, eating together and, sometimes, studying together, he felt a lot closer to him than the first time they spoke. There were times that he remembered that Leon was his soulmate, and everytime he felt his heart racing when they were alone, he hated how well Lady Luck was playing her cards. But he wasn’t going to lose to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or so he hoped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan looked at the exit door to go to the VIP room, but as soon as he was about to head that way, the door from where he came in was completely closed from behind. No matter how much he tried to force it, the door wouldn’t open, and he could hear the shackles clashing on the other side. Did someone close it before him noticing? And, when he turned around, he could see the crowd from Team Yell entering the place, including the second floor in which they were waiting. It was probably too late to go back, and when he looked down, he noticed that, in the front row, Nessa and Milo were standing. Raihan’s phone rang after receiving a text.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Where are you? Have you seen Leon? We’re already down.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The text was from Nessa, who was looking around for them in that crowded space that slowly filled with more and more members of Team Yell. Raihan replied with his location in the upper floor, and when she tilted her head, she noticed both him and Leon waving at her. He also texted her that they couldn’t get down so they would watch the concert from there, and that’s when the conversation finally died.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan approached Leon and gently grabbed his shirt, causing the latter to look at him with those golden eyes that made Raihan gasp. He hated how nervous he was feeling around him—his soulmate—, so he just looked at the stage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope you don’t mind watching the concert with me,” Raihan mumbled, putting a hand in front of his face to cover that terrible blush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon blinked twice at first, and then smiled as he hugged Raihan from the side. “I’d love to!” he exclaimed. “Doing this with one of my best friends is a dream come true!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His excitement made Raihan even more embarrassed, but he was trying really hard to cover those feelings. The hug surprised him at first, but then put his arm around Leon’s shoulders and kept him closer to him, just as the music turned off and, from the amount of smoke, the slim figure of the main singer started to appear on the stage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers walked towards the edge of the stage, grabbing his mic in his hand and smirking to the audience. “Everyone, cheer for me and yell loud!” His raspy voice showed traces of smugness that was so unlike him in most situations. Everyone knew that Piers was so cool when performing, and looked like a totally different person, but Leon had never seen it in real life. That change of attitude made him raise his fists as the audience yelled his name, doing the same and almost jumping in place once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon enough, Piers walked back and grabbed his electric guitar, swinging it around his neck and finally pressing it against his chest, tuning it in front of everyone. Those actions could be seen as unprofessional for some people—not going into the stage fully prepared— but, for his fans, it was seen as cool. His black, leather clothes highlighted his figure and gave a presumptuous look to him. After some seconds of pure showing off, he finally started playing some chords, and the drummer accompanied him alongside the bassist. His voice resounded in every corner of that place, amplified by the mic and invading everybody’s ears.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><span>♫</span></em> <em><span>Whenever our eyes met,</span></em></p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>our laughter says more than our words. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>♫</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A love song? Piers was known for his romantic melodies, even though he didn’t have a lover… as far as anyone could tell. Raihan looked at Leon who was pressing his hands against the glass wall, moving in place as if he was dancing to the rhythm. His hand lowered from his shoulders to grab him by the waist; Leon looked surprised at first, but then warmly smiled at him, and put his hand on Raihan’s back, holding him too. He couldn’t explain that happiness that he was feeling—it was different from when he was with Sonia; they were like siblings, but when he was with Raihan, he felt… butterflies flying in his stomach. Without saying a thing, he rested his cheek on Raihan’s shoulder, and the latter glared at him before gently smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe Lady Luck had planned everything from the start.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From his denial to that exact moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan chuckled and then mumbled to himself or, maybe, to Lady Luck. “Well played.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because Leon’s company felt great after all. Being able to hold him like that, watching a concert alone, where no one could see them, wasn’t so bad in the end.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>♫ You didn’t know that the day you found me,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was also finding you. ♫</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And the lyrics of Piers’ songs were hitting close home, but even so, no matter how loud they played their instruments, Raihan could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat and Leon’s, that were synchronizing with each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>♫ We’re still a long way from where we want to be,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>but I could stay here for the rest of my life. ♫</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Leon sighed profoundly, resting his hand on Raihan’s chest as he heard those words that he could relate to. Love was an unknown feeling to him, but he knew that, in that very moment, whatever his words were saying was correct, and the way his heart connected with Raihan’s was not wrong. That warmth in his chest burned even brighter with every word. He wished to be in that place for the rest of his life, too, where peace was flowing with the man by his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Raihan’s heart was loudly screaming the same.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As all things came to an end, so did Piers’ show. After a full set of different songs, he put the mic down and gulped down his water bottle as the audience called for an encore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>I don’t do encores, you know.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even a rejection sounded good in that voice of his. He thanked—in his way—the people for coming to see him, and didn’t wait any longer to leave the stage, alongside his band members. All the sounds that once reigned over the place suddenly went off, and the lights turned on, while the security staff opened all doors for the people to leave the place. After an entire session of indirect cuddling with Leon, Raihan held his hand and guided him downstairs to look for the rest of his friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they approached them, Nessa was quick to notice how their fingers were intertwined. She raised an eyebrow, having more questions than answers, but didn’t say any of them out loud yet. They spoke for a while, and Leon never stopped grabbing Raihan’s hand and, to his surprise, Raihan never complained or tried to free himself. It almost seemed as if he was also enjoying it, and that only caused more warm butterflies on his belly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one was allowed backstage, so seeing Piers that night was going to be impossible. He was probably tired from that outstanding concert—even if Leon and Raihan didn’t pay too much attention because they were too focused on the other—, so they didn’t bother texting him. Also, Marnie was going to see him, so he was probably okay. The group walked outside the venue and, in front of the street, Milo waved them goodbye. Nessa stayed for a while until their conversation died, and finally decided to go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, they were alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan took a deep breath, turning to see Leon and ended up lost in his eyes once again. That golden look that suited him a little too much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was… a good concert…” Raihan mumbled, almost out of breath because of the nervousness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon smiled, avoiding his look and scratching his cheek, burning red. “It was…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But neither of them paid attention to the show.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan held his hands, causing Leon to look at him for a second. Raihan approached, to the point of being able to press his forehead against his, and he did. His heart was racing incredibly fast, and his mind was shutting down. The one making decisions was his heart, and that was never a good option. Still, without thinking too much, Raihan leaned over to the point of feeling Leon’s heavy breathing, and noticing how he was already raising his chin to him and closing his eyes. They were thinking about doing the same thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What if he…?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan approached his lips to Leon’s, but just when he was about to slightly touch them, a phone rang, causing them to jump backwards and completely separate. It was Leon’s phone receiving a call that he attended, still shocked by the interruption and feeling how his heart was about to burst from his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sonia!” Leon exclaimed, gulping afterwards. He listened to whatever she was saying and then nodded. “Sure! I’ll wait for you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quickly enough, Leon hung the phone and stared at Raihan, too ashamed to say anything about what was about to happen between them. The silence was broken by Raihan who, scratching his neck, asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W… What did she want?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s picking me up and told me to wait for her here…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan nodded, not knowing what to say about that. The awkward silence persisted until the honk of a car alerted them, and when they turned, it was Sonia waving at them. She rolled the window down and smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, guys! How was the concert?” she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was good! Warm and… cuddly…” Leon answered as he approached the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sonia didn’t understand his answer very well—cuddly? That didn’t sound like Piers at all, but it’s not like she knew him very well to understand. Sonia opened the door for Leon and he got in. “Do you need a lift, Raihan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no! I’m- I’m fine!” Raihan put both hands in front of his chest. The nervousness was extremely obvious, even for Sonia. “I’ll be leaving now. Have a good night!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After saying goodbye like that, he started walking in the opposite direction to them. He could manage sooner or later. When he lost sight of Sonia’s car, Raihan sighed profoundly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His heart was still beating so fast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Painfully fast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Am I really falling in love…? It can’t be true... </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading this chapter! I've been wanting to write this for a long time, and being able to finally develop their relationship a little bit is refreshing. Still, Raihan, you need to learn to accept your feelings. &gt;:(</p>
<p>I'm not sure if it was obvious enough, but the song featured in this chapter is Acacia from Bump of Chicken—is one of my favorite songs and the music video is fantastic, and I couldn't help it but put it in this chapter. I feel like it encompasses Raihan and Leon's relationship really well too. &lt;3</p>
<p>There is still a long way to go, and even if they're slowly taking notice of their feelings, they have to overcome many obstacles (cough cough Raihan's denial phase cough cough) to finally be together. I hope you look forward to the rest of this fic!</p>
<p>Again, thank you for your support!!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! This is my first fic. I know the trope is cliche, but I personally like reading cliches about my favourite otps, so I thought it would be entertaining to write this. I'll try to update as soon as I can.</p><p>English is not my first language so there might be some mistakes, I'm sorry!!</p><p>Any support is appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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